Author Archives: Thomas

Hammarlund HR-10: David seeking advice about weather frequency adjustment

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Korchin, who needs a little advice regarding his recently restored Hammarlund HR-10:

After doing a heart transplant on my Hammarlund HR-10 Weather Sentry multi band receiver (I found a rough user on eBay and swapped out the chassis into my unspoiled case) the rig is running to spec; MW is very strong with that long bar antenna, the FM+AFC is terrific , and I’ve been sandbagging 75-80 m hams in their AM QSO’s. But the Weather band is fixed reception at 162.550 MHz—that works in New York City but the NOOA stations out here in easternmost Suffolk County NY use different frequencies. I’m wondering if the radio can be adjusted to another frequency? Or the crystal swapped?

Any ideas would be appreciated!

Please comment if you can help David sort out how he might add or modify the HR-10’s weather frequency!

Solar Cycle 25: Sunspot Cycle “Could Be One Of The Strongest On Record”

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(Source: SpaceRef via Eric McFadden)

In direct contradiction to the official forecast, a team of scientists led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is predicting that the Sunspot Cycle that started this fall could be one of the strongest since record-keeping began.

In a new article published in Solar Physics, the research team predicts that Sunspot Cycle 25 will peak with a maximum sunspot number somewhere between approximately 210 and 260, which would put the new cycle in the company of the top few ever observed.

The cycle that just ended, Sunspot Cycle 24, peaked with a sunspot number of 116, and the consensus forecast from a panel of experts convened by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting that Sunspot Cycle 25 will be similarly weak. The panel predicts a peak sunspot number of 115.

If the new NCAR-led forecast is borne out, it would lend support to the research team’s unorthodox theory – detailed in a series of papers published over the last decade – that the Sun has overlapping 22-year magnetic cycles that interact to produce the well-known, approximately 11-year sunspot cycle as a byproduct. The 22-year cycles repeat like clockwork and could be a key to finally making accurate predictions of the timing and nature of sunspot cycles, as well as many of the effects they produce, according to the study’s authors.[…]

Click here to continue reading the full article.

Can you ID this radio in “Death in Paradise”–?

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Evans (W4/VP9KF), who writes:

Oh no, I spotted another radio to identify in about a 1 second clip from “Death In Paradise”, Series 9, Episode 7.

This should be easier, but is it?

Bonus points for the name of the lizard!

Oh! That’s a tough one. Thanks for sharing, Paul!

Please comment if you can correctly ID this radio (or the lizard)!

The new Belka-DX speaker option

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Belka-DX Speaker

Many thanks to  Alex (EU1ME)–developer and manufacturer of the Belka DX  and Belka DSP shortwave receivers–who shares information about a new version of the Belka-DX:

[Based on customer feedback, we’ve] added a built-in speaker to the Belka DX version. It’s an option that I believe also can be useful when listening this radio (broadcasts for example).

The dimensions of the receiver remain the same. See photos attached.

Belka-DX Speaker

Battery capacity is reduced from 2200 to 1250 mAh. Still, the built-in LI-Ion battery [will power] it for about 12 hours.

As far as battery and speaker are connected to the device with sockets, it is quite easy to change batteries and back covers with or without speaker depending on situation.

When back cover with speaker is installed one may still listen to the device with headphones (speaker will be muted).

Many thanks, Alex, for sharing this announcement. While I do most of my DXing with headphones, I love the idea of a speaker option for the Belka-DX especially for casual broadcast listening. The speaker appears to be an option you can purchase separately, or you can purchase the Belka-DX with the speaker option installed. I look forward to checking this out!

Click here to check out the speaker option for the Belka-DX on Alex’s website.. 

From the Post Archives: A Pirate Radio Pearl Harbor Tribute

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Photograph taken from a Japanese plane during the torpedo attack on ships moored on both sides of Ford Island. View looks about east, with the supply depot, submarine base and fuel tank farm in the right center distance. (Source Wikipedia)

President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy”–the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by air. Today (December 7, 2020) is the 79th anniversary.

This morning, I was once again reminded of an off-air recording I made in 2013 of the pirate radio station, Radio Free Whatever. Please enjoy this bit of history from the Post archive:

960px-USS_SHAW_exploding_Pearl_Harbor_Nara_80-G-16871_2

USS Shaw exploding in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941

For your listening pleasure: one hour, seven minutes of the pirate radio station, Radio Free Whatever.

I recorded this broadcast on December 15 2013, starting around 2:40 UTC, on 6,925 kHz AM. This broadcast was a tribute to WWII and Pearl Harbor and contains news clips and music from the same time period. I believe my recording begins about five or so minutes into their broadcast.

Simply click here to download an MP3 of the recording, or listen via the embedded player below:

More Info

If you’re a WWII history buff like I am, you might also appreciate this live news report audio from the Smithsonian channel:

I should add that if you’re interested in military history and, especially, the events leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack, I highly recommend the film, Tora! Tora! Tora! It’s one of my favorite military history films and is simply timeless.