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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Greenall, who writes:
What is your longest DX (from transmitter to receiver)?
Assuming we are limiting the discussion to planet Earth, Perth, Australia would be represent one of the farthest land based locations to hear at 18145 km or 11275 miles as the crow flies from my receiving post in southern Ontario, Canada.
That would mean the ABC outlet that I received on 9610 kHz in the early 1970’s is the winner for me. Not far behind, however, would be tiny Amsterdam Island (part of the TAAF, Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises) in the Indian Ocean at 18031 km or 11204 miles. I was able to log marine radio FJY4 on 8690 kHz CW on a number of occasions and even managed to extract a PFC QSL direct from the station in 1973.
Of course, the longest DX may not necessarily be the best. CKZN running 300 watts on 6160 kHz from St. John’s, Newfoundland from right here in Canada was harder to hear than the ABC in Perth, Australia!
Who can top this distance? What is your longest DX? Please comment!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Tilford, who shares the following update:
1. From the Isle of Music, July 2024
On July 13, 2024, we will feature music from the winning album in the Tradicional Variado category (“Danzoneando: En vivo desde Matanzas” by Orquesta Failde) of Cubadisco 2024
Times & Frequencies are:
1700-1800 UTC 9670 kHz with beam E-F towards South Asia
1900-2000 UTC 3955 & 6070 kHz (omnidirectional for Europe and beyond)
2300-2400 UTC 3955 kHz (omnidirectional for Europe and beyond)
All transmissions from Channel 292, Rohrbach, Germany
2. Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, July 20, 2024
On July 20, 2024, we will feature various multiethnic music that blends musical styles from different cultures
Times & Frequencies (note new schedule) are:
1700-1800 UTC 9670 kHz with beam E-F towards South Asia
1900-2000 UTC 3955 & 6070 kHz (omnidirectional for Europe and beyond)
2300-2400 UTC 3955 kHz (omnidirectional for Europe and beyond)
All transmissions from Channel 292, Rohrbach, Germany
For both programs, even if you are listening on a remote websdr rather than a radio, we will still acknowledge reception reports with an eQSL IF:
1. The entire program is listened to and reported
2. which web SDR is clearly specified (that will be mentioned on the eQSL)
Shorter reports will be acknowledged with a brief note of thanks.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who shares his radio art describing the news he received, via Radiofax, in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Carlos says, “Expect the unexpected from Kyodo News (again!).”
Time to upgrade that receiver if you’re one of the few Swiss that still don’t have one able to receive DAB+ signals
Swiss radio listeners will soon have to toss out their old sets, as the country plans to end analog FM broadcasting on December 31, 2024, in favor of a total conversion to digital.
The move has been a long time coming in Switzerland, which has largely already transitioned to Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB+, an evolution of standard DAB that was designed to address early issues). More than 99 percent of the country have access to a DAB+-compatible receiver and fewer than 10 percent of radio signals in the country still being broadcasted in analog FM, according to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. [Continue reading…]
There will be no substantive changes to the legislation
A bill in the House of Representatives that would mandate AM capability in new vehicles is about to be revised, according to a person familiar with the developments.
New information indicates that one of the original co-sponsors of the bill, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), plans to introduce an amendment to the bill (H.R. 8449). Changes would only include minor technical updates.
The planned amendment to the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act comes on the heels of last week’s last-minute cancellation of a planned vote by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which could have advanced the legislation to the full House for a vote. [Continue reading…]
Opponents play up the possibility that carmakers would have to choose
If Congress requires AM radio in new cars, vehicle manufacturers might have to drop safety features instead.
That’s the message from opponents of the proposed law in Congress. A guest commentary published by Automotive News restates the key points that opponents have been making since the legislation was introduced; but their blunt emphasis on a possible tradeoff with important safety features seems notable.
“To accommodate analog AM radio as a primary design requirement, certain carmakers may need to scrap advanced safety features, with engineers having to prioritize outdated technology over current or future safety innovations,” they wrote. [Continue reading…]
Did you know that 100 years ago there were electromechanical radio transmitters?
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, André, who writes:
I have been following the SWLing Post for many years and really enjoy it. Like many DXers, I have a YouTube channel where I share my catches.
But I have something a bit different, that your readers might find interesting. It is an interview with a producer and presenter at an Ethiopian clandestine SW station, Voice of Fano.
I think it is interesting to hear from someone who is directly involved in a clandestine station, during a time of conflict, about their station. How they make programmes, the listeners, why they started the station, why shortwave, are they being jammed and more.
The station transmits from Issoudun, twice a week only, 15215 kHz. It can be heard on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 17:00 to 18:15 UTC. The WRTH listing has not been updated yet, they used to broadcast for 30 minutes only, but have increased this to 75 minutes. They have been transmitting for just over five months.
