Shortwave listening and everything radio including reviews, broadcasting, ham radio, field operation, DXing, maker kits, travel, emergency gear, events, and more
I’ve been going through some old paperwork recently and discovered this map of the antenna farm at Radio Canada International’s former Sackville, NB, transmitting site (click to enlarge):
I was given this printout by one of the staff members at Sackville when I visited there in the summer of 2012–only a few months before they closed, permanently.
I thought perhaps some others here in the SWLing Post community might enjoy checking out this map.
I do miss hearing RCI on the air. Hard to believe it’s almost been a decade.
Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio
Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers. To that end: Welcome to the SWLing Post’sRadio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dan Van Hoy, Dennis Dura, Rich Cuff, and the Southgate ARC for the following tips:
There’s still lots to listen to, and new ways to do it
Surprise! Shortwave radio as a broadcast medium is holding its own, despite the intrusion of the internet, transmission cutbacks by major broadcasters such as the BBC World Service and Voice of America and abandonment of the SW bands by other state-owned broadcasters.
Meanwhile, the ways in which people listen to SW radio transmissions are evolving, because SW receiver manufacturers are keeping up with the technological times.
Stayin’ alive
There is no doubt that the variety of stations on the SW bands has declined, due to the end of the Cold War — the propaganda war of which drove the medium in the 1950s and 1960s — and the emergence of the internet.
Yesterday afternoon, I spent a few hours sorting through old radio books and magazines. I discovered this issue of Monitoring Times from September 1993:
Today marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11; a day where we honor all of those who were lost, their families/friends, and all of those who who served during and after the attacks.
This morning, I’ve been listening to a number of off-air shortwave radio recordings made on September 11 and 12, 2001. Many thanks to the amazing contributors at the SRAA who shared these with us over the years. For this radio enthusiast, these recordings brings back memories even more vividly than video coverage.
I built another Tferrite, (TFERRITE 2), for medium waves–this time also with the shortwave option.
A single variable capacitor, 800 pf, and a primary winding on the 2 ferrites of about 46 turns, a secondary winding of 3 turns to pick up the signal and send it to the receiver.
On the PVC tube I wound 4 more coils, for the shortwaves, connecting the ends to the same variable together with the other ends.
I interposed a switch on one end to eliminate or insert shortwaves.
I am sending you these 3 links from my YT channel where you can see the tests I have done in these days with no propagation.
The yield in mediumwave is excellent, like the other one, yet also good for the shortwaves–to be so small it compares very well.
Let me know what you and the whole SWLing community think!
Thanks to you and a greeting from Italy, Formia on the Tyrrhenian Sea. 73. Giuseppe.
This is brilliant, Giuseppe! Thank you so much for sharing your homebrew antenna projects. It seems they work so well from your beautiful urban location in Italy!
