VOA Bethany transmitting station, now a museum and park.
Veteran Voice of America “Americana” reporter and essayist, Ted Landphair recently posted an essay on his blog outlining the past and present of VOA’s Bethany, Ohio transmitter site. This article is a fascinating read and takes us back to the the site’s roots in WLW and wartime propaganda.
Thanks Ted–and to Kim Elliot for bringing this article to my attention.
Larry Magne, the publisher of Passort To World Band Radio, has reported that the 26th edition of their popular shortwave radio guide may not go to print. From their website:
As with any good recipe, a range of ingredients has to come together if a reference book is to succeed. Solid content is, of course, essential. But in recent months other considerations have had an increased bearing on the future of Passport to World Band Radio®.
So it is that the 26th Edition of Passport to World Band Radio® is being held in limbo. Despite this, for now we are continuing to maintain the WorldScan® database and uphold all proprietary material. Among other things, this should help allow for an orderly return to production, under IBS’ aegis or otherwise, should conditions allow.
For Passport® readers and our small team, alike, this is a seminal moment. After all, Passport to World Band Radio® goes back a quarter century and has had something like a million readers worldwide. But the future has its own rhythm that confounds prognostication. There may yet be more chapters to this story. Stay tuned.
This is sad news for the shortwave listening community. I have been a fan of this fine publication since the 1980’s and always have a copy handy on my radio shelf. There are other notable radio guides out there, but none so easy to use and so perfectly tailored for the newcomer to the hobby.
Read their original post and many listener comments here.
Update 28 Nov 2009: Please see new post–PTWBR No Longer in Print.
Since I review shortwave radios for SWLing.com, I’m always looking for great deals on popular portables. This summer, I’ve noticed several exceptional values and thought I’d share them with you. Note that many of these deals are for the North American market, but if these models are available in your part of the world, you’ll probably find bargains where you live, too.
Universal Radio has a limited time offer on the Grundig G4000A. They’re selling this capable little radio for $99.99 and including a free Eton FR350 self-powered shortwave radio (a $59.95 value) and a Grundig AN200 indoor antenna ($29.95).
Wow. What a deal–possibly the best I’ve ever seen on a new shortwave portable. For those of you who don’t yet know, the Grundig G4000A is a classic little portable. It has very decent audio fidelity, good shortwave sensitivity, excellent SW coverage (1711 to 30000 kHz) and is a capable performer on FM and AM bands. It can also tune in SSB (Single Side Band) signals.
I am also quite familiar with the FR350, as it is one of the few self-powered radios (along with the FR200) that passed all of our rigorous tests for use with the classroom SW radio distribution project, Ears To Our World. (Kudos to Universal, by the way, as they are a big supporter of ETOW).
I have not used the Grundig AN200 AM broadcast antenna yet, but I have used similar antennas and must admit that they do improve AM reception. Great thing is, you don’t even need to hook this antenna up to your radio; just place it next to the radio and you’re ready for MW (AM broadcast band) DX.
Universal lists that this unique deal is available until the (updated) 30th of June 2010, or while supplies last.
Click here to download PDF mailer of Grundig/Universal promotion.
Prices have been falling recently on the G5 as Grundig makes way for their new G3 Voyager.
The G5 has been a choice radio amongst SWLers who want portable performance, and, along with many other reviewers, I have given this radio high marks.
There are some good deals out there on the G5 as Eton makes way for the much anticipated G3 Voyager (see previous post). Keep in mind that the G5 used to sell for $160. Below, I have listed some authorized retailers that carry the G5, and their prices as of the date of this posting:
The Sony ICF-SW7600GR is a great choice for the beginner and experienced shortwave listener. It's portable, yet has the features and selectivity of a larger radio.
Many believe that Sony is slowly pulling out of the shortwave radio market. That may be, but they have made some highly sought after radios over the years. The ICF-SW7600GR is no exception (see my mini review here). What sets this radio apart from the competition (at least until the G3 hits the market) is synchronous selectable sideband, a feature which is effective at reducing fading distortion and adjacent-channel interference.
I’ve noticed that prices on the ICF-SW7600GR are starting to fall and supplies are dwindling at retailers. Here are a few that still carry this fine portable:
C. Crane “Orphans”C. Crane offers two radios that I’m quite fond of–the CCRadio-SW tabletop/portable and the ultra-portable CCRadio-SWP. I reviewed both of these on SWLing.com.
Like many manufacturers, C. Crane sells products that they refurbish and clean, and then guarantee them. They refer to these units as Orphans. Having purchased from C. Crane in the past, I can say that I wouldn’t hesitate to buy an orphan radio from them. It can save you anywhere from $5 to $20 on one of their radios.
Pricing and availability vary, so check out their Orphan page before purchasing new.
Get a free Grundig FR350 with the new Sattelit 750 at Universal Radio.
UPDATED 20 July 2009:
Universal is now offering a free Grundig AN200 antenna with the purchase of the much awaited Grundig G3 Globe Traveler ($149.99) and a free Grundig FR350 self-powered shortwave radio with the purchase of the new Satellit 750 ($299.99). I believe these offers are exclusive to Universal Radio.
Click here to download PDF mailer of Grundig/Universal promotion.
Please let me know if you discover another exceptional value on shortwave portables by leaving a comment. Also, subscibe to our RSS feed and I will post updates as they become available.
Grundig G3 - Now shipping
Universal Radio has announced, on their product page, that the Grundig G3 is now shipping. I’ve already ordered one to review.
Pricing is $149.95–a price point similar to the Grundig G5 (which no longer appears in Grundig’s product line). Through Universal, you actually get a Grundig AN200 indoor antenna as a bonus–currently the best deal I could find amongst retailers. See our previous post regarding the Grundig G3 for additional information, and check out Universal’s product page. We will post new info on the G3 as it becomes available.
UPDATE: Universal is now offering a free Grundig AN200 antenna with the G3 purchase ($149.99).
UK radio audience data was recently released and indicates that more people than ever are listening to radio. Why is that? Kate Chisholm from the Telegraph has some thoughts:
We woke up this morning to find the homepage of search engine, Google, in morse code. What a great way to commemorate Samuel Morse’s birthday. In case you missed this special Google Doodle, check out the screen capture below.
_ _. _.._ Google!
Why not learn morse code and add that extra dimension to your SWLing skills? If you’re interested, check out these informative websites:
Click here to read Wikipedia’s biography of Samuel Morse.
From Reuters:
Fiji has been plunged into a political crisis after the president reappointed military chief Frank Bainimarama as interim prime minister on Saturday, less than two days after a court ruled his 2006 coup and subsequent government illegal.
Bainimarama tightened media censorship on Wednesday and continued to refuse to hold elections before 2014.
The Australian Broadcasting Corp. said local technicians had been ordered by the military government to shut down two FM relay stations in the capital Suva and the western sugar town of Nadi.
But ABC said its Radio Australia news programme was still broadcasting on shortwave transmitters.
The military government has asked that Fiji reporters only publish “positive” news, or in their terms, “journalism of hope.” This censorship has also pushed Radio New Zealand International out of Fiji.
Other reports have indicated that the government is now trying to restrict internet news sources and blogs. Internet cafe owners are under threat of being shut down, as well.
UPDATE (21 Nov 2009): The military-installed Fiji government has removed all broadcasting licences and given Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum the absolute power to renew or redistribute them without any compensation to those whose licences are stripped. (Source: The Australian via RNW Media Network)
When people ask whether we need shortwave radio in this internet information age, events like this provide a clear affirmative answer. Once ABC and RNZI were ousted from Fiji, these broadcasters immediately reiterated to Fiji listeners that their programming can be heard all day on shortwave (see schedule below).
And that’s the remarkable thing about shortwave–it penetrates borders without regard to who is in power or to restrictions placed upon local media. Even when the internet is crippled. Can shortwave broadcasts be jammed? Sure–but it’s not all that easy to do; it’s much more difficult than, say, seizing control of a country’s internet service provider, or (as in the case of Fiji) of their local broadcasters and stations. Plus, jamming usually targets a specific frequency, so if radio listeners find their broadcasts jammed on one frequency, there are often literally dozens of ways around the jam–other frequencies often carry the same or similiar programming from the same or other international broadcasters.
Much of the decline of shortwave radio is attributed to the end of the Cold War. During the Cold War era, national superpowers were obsessed with piercing borders with their respective messages; since the Cold War ended, that technology is no longer as driven. But as the Fiji story demonstrates, the need is very much ongoing, perhaps even more so, as small countries try out a variety of political options, often exercising this power along the long and twisting road to democratic governance. Now, shortwave should have a new and broader focus: sending news, music, education and human interest programming to the developing world.
For an example of an organization making a difference through shortwave radio technology, check out Ears To Our World.
Local Time 04:00 – 09:00
Frequencies: 5995 7240 7240 9580 9710 11650 11660 11880 12080
Local Time: 09:00 – 12:00
Frequencies: 11650 11660 12080 12080 12080 13630 15230 15515 17785 17795
Local Time: 12:00 – 16:00
Frequencies: 12080 12080 15240 15515 17795
Local Time: 16:00 – 19:00
Frequencies: 12080 12080 15160 15240 15515
Local Time: 19:00 – 04:00
Frequencies: 5995 6020 7240 9580 9590 12080 12080 12080 13630 15160 15240
