(Source: Radio World via Andrea Borgnino)
Ampegon says it is about to deliver and install its first rotatable shortwave high-power array antenna on the North American continent.
The system, which will be installed WBCQ in the United States, is designed for the transmission of shortwave signals of up to 500 kW, the high-power antenna offers different radiation patterns, an antenna gain of up to 23 dB and uses a technology characterized by a single-shaft structural design.
My trusty Gateway tower PC here at SWLing Post HQ is finally showing signs of wear–the boot drive is getting noisy, the cooling fans are being taxed and Win 10 can’t even complete the latest update. I purchased the Gateway in 2012 as a “shack” PC and loaded it with SDR applications, logging programs and very little else. It has an Intel core i5 processor 2320 which has handled running multiple SDR applications simultaneously with little problem.
I could tear apart this PC, try to find the issues and replace parts, but I think I might do better simply upgrading the whole system.
I no longer feel like I need a tower PC configuration–I’d rather have something with a smaller footprint–though I do appreciate the accessibility inside to swap parts and make incremental upgrades. I also like having a built-in optical drive and SD card reader which are typical features on tower PCs.
Since I connect no less than three or four SDRs and an external hard drive all at once, USB ports are a necessity.
I’m out of touch with current PC models, but here are a list of my needs and wants.
Needs:
Wants:
I’m currently considering:
Any other suggestions or advice? Please comment!
The 4KZ transmitter is located in Innisfail, Australia
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jerome van der Linden, who writes:
Have been communicating with Al Kirton (4KZ, Innisfail, Queensland Manager), and by virtue of my membership of a couple of Facebook groups for caravan (trailer to you) owners in Australia, have publicized the fact that Al is keen for reception reports from people in the target area.
Al also advised that they’re not even on 500 watts at the moment:
“We are only on 300 watts due to the fact that we only have one of the two 600 watt RF modules working.(Half of the 600 watts in the good module is lost into the combiner). It should be much better on ~ 1 Kw when the part arrives from the USA and the module is repaired.”
Thank you for the update, Jerome!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rolf Snijder, who writes:
Here are some pictures from my new XHData D-808.
It performs well, only a soft muting when I change the dial.Longwave is not great–it receives, but is too weak. Mediumwave and shortwave look great for this radio.
Have a great new year!
Thank you, Rolf!
I expect to receive my XHDATA D-808 within a week or so. I’m very curious how it will compare with the Digitech AR-1780!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill (KD5XN), who writes:
I enjoyed your article on the C Crane Skywave SSB this month in the Spectrum Monitor. I too have both of the Skywaves now, and agree they are near-ideal travel radios.
I bought a protective case by “Hermit Shell” that I stumbled across on Amazon that may well be one of the best protective cases I’ve ever seen for a portable radio.
It is made specifically for the Skywave(s) and fits like a glove. I believe one could kick it across a parking lot and never worry about any damage to your radio it’s so well padded. I put the earbuds and a clip lead for attaching to a reel antenna into the pouch in the cover. Not much else is going to fit.
I know that you are also a “bag geek” so I’ve sent the Amazon link for you to peruse.
[…]The only slight negative that I could say is that the cased radio is approximately twice the thickness of the radio alone, if tight packing is an issue.
I just thought I’d pass this along as I don’t recall ever seeing anyone mentioning it. At $14.99 it’s cheap but good insurance if you travel where things “take a beating.”
73, Happy Holidays and thank you for all your reviews and articles.
Click here to view on Amazon.com (affiliate link).
Thank you for your recommendation and tip, Bill!
We actually have mentioned this on the SWLing Post before, but obviously the article is rather buried at this point. Thanks for the reminder.
Like you, I do see the negative that this case effectively increases the size of the CC Skywave for one bag travel, but it would certainly do a fine job protecting the Skywave in transit. Indeed, I believe that’s a pretty acceptable compromise. I especially like the fact that the earbuds will also fit in the case. I might pick one of these up with some Christmas credit I have at Amazon.
Afterall, the CC Skywave SSB is a $150 radio–! I suppose since I buy $15-$20 protective cases for my $150 smartphone, my radio should at least get the same treatment! It’ll certainly outlast my smartphone!
(Source: The Mainichi via Kim Elliott)
HELSINKI (AP) — For nearly three decades, Finland’s YLE radio has broadcast a weekly news program in Latin to a small group of committed listeners around the globe.
With the audience numbering just 10,000 and people increasingly turning to the internet for content, Friday was meant to be the end of the road for “Nuntii Latini,” which means “news in Latin.” But don’t underestimate the passion of Latin aficionados — more than 3,000 of them wrote in from around the globe, some in fluent Latin, encouraging the station to save the program.
YLE leadership listened, agreeing to extend it until at least its 30th anniversary in 2019.
“Ne umquam desperaveris,” (loosely translated: “never give up,”) said co-announcer Reijo Pitkaranta, a docent and lecturer in Latin at the University of Helsinki.[…]
Happy New Year SWLing Post community!
A few months ago, I published a post about Colin Anderton’s excellent Radio Moscow recordings from the late 1970s. Being a space flight enthusiast, all of Colin’s brief off-air recordings feature news from the 1977-1978 Soyuz 26 mission to the Salyut 6 space station.
Recently, I started posting Colin’s recordings on a schedule so that each recording is being published exactly 40 years from the original broadcast date. Check out the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive each day (or subscribe via iTunes) to listen to the recordings.
Below, I’ve embedded the recording from New Year’s Day 1978 where we learned that Yuri Romanenko and Georgi Grechko toasted the New Year with fruit juice (for obvious reasons, champagne was not allowed on the station!).
