Category Archives: Accessories

Egil is pleased with his new Belka-DX and Tecsun ICR-100 cases

2 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Egil (LA2PJ), who writes:

Hi Thomas,

In the middle of march, Steve Allen (KZ4TN) posted this article showing a case for the BELKA-DX.

I found his idea so good that I ordered two of the small boxes, using the Amazon link given in his article.

The boxes arrived here in Norway just twelve days after ordering, and was delivered to my door by a local transporter.

Never before have I experienced that kind of service on any purchase via Amazon!

 

Tecsun ICR-100

While packing the BELKA-DX in one of the boxes, I discovered that my Tecsun ICR-100 speaker/audio recorder fit snugly in the other box. The two boxes also contains a six meters long wire antenna, charging cables for both units, earphones, and even an USB charger, just in case I get the opportunity to recharge the batteries.

Belka-DX and accessories

The attached pictures show my new setup. Two items are not shown in that picture: a wire antenna plus a 20Ah powerbank from Anderson. We are going to an off grid cabin for the Easter holidays, and hope that when leaving home with everything fully charged, the powerbank will keep this setup plus my smartphone happy for a whole week.

73s Egil – LA2PJ

Thank you so much for sharing this, Egil!  It’s absolutely amazing that the shipping service to Norway was so efficient. 

I think you’ll have no problem at all enjoying hours upon hours of DXing with the Belka-DX in your off-grid cabin.  No doubt you’ll be escaping the RFI and enjoying much lower noise floors while on vacation–this will give you an opportunity to truly take advantage of the Belka-DX receiver. You’ll have to report back with your experience and photos (hint, hint!).

Spread the radio love

A case for the Belka-DX and cautionary tale!

19 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Steve Allen (KZ4TN), who shares the following guest post:

My Belka-DX: A Cautionary Tale

One of the most amazing SW radios I have ever owned and listened to is the Belka-DX. Its size to performance ratio is without equal, IMHO.

Late last year I dropped it on the floor and was emotionally traumatized when I picked it up and found the LCD to be broken (see photo above). It still received but most of the display was damaged and not readable. I tried to open it up with the intent of replacing the LCD myself (if I could source one) but I could not figure out how to remove the circuit board.

I contacted Boris at MobiMax in Bulgaria from whom I purchased the little squirrel. It took a few weeks of back and forth as he worked to get pricing for the replacement LCD. Eventually he had a very reasonable quote put together and I mailed the Belka-DX off to Bulgaria. Now the wait began. It took almost four weeks for it to finally arrive at MobiMax. Boris had the repair turned around in about a week and I made payment via PayPal. Just like before it took about four weeks transit time and I worried that it would disappear somewhere on the way.

It arrived safe and sound and I am very glad to have it back. I’ve been missing my bedtime SWLing.

So…moving forward I will now always store the radio in a hard case. After digging around in my box of assorted cases I found nothing that was the right size.

After twenty minutes on Amazon I found a hard case that was originally for a small point and shoot digital camera. It was a bit larger than the Belka-DX and it also had room for earbuds, the charging cable and power adaptor, and a small wire antenna.

I glued some foam in the case to hold the radio in place and it’s now nice and snug.

Click here to check out the case on Amazonm.com (affiliate link).

Now I can safely carry it in my daypack or other travel luggage without fear of damage.

Spread the radio love

Frank finds a Sony ICF-SW7600G/GR replacement antenna

5 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Frank, who writes:

Thomas,

I have asked for and received help from your members a couple of times during the last year. I am sending this to you in an effort to “give something back” to your members.

I managed to stupidly break the built-in whip antenna on my Sony 7600GR and looked for a replacement. Several are on eBay for 5- 60 dollars which is a bit steep.

I eventually tried one (for $20) in the link below from eBay:

https://ebay.us/OpHEeP

It arrived very quickly (under 2 weeks from China) and it simply went into the radio with no problems and it works very well.

I am not a radio HAM or electronics expert so it may not be perfect but to me the reception is at least as good as the original.

If anyone needs one, it would be well worth trying.

Regards,

Frank from England

Thanks so much for sharing this useful tip, Frank!

Spread the radio love

The new Stampfl MWS-1 Standing Wave Barrier

14 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Markku (VA3MK), who notes that Swiss manufacturer Stampfl has introduced the MWS-1 Standing Wave Barrier.

Stampfl notes (translated from German):

A standing wave barrier can improve reception. The standing wave barrier interrupts the ground loop and suppresses the interference caused by the cable shield.

This is designed only to work with receivers (not transmitters) between 0.15 – 30 MHz.

I suppose this might be a form of an RF choke, although I’m sure someone else might know better.

Thank you for the tip, Markku!

Click here to check out the MWS-1 at Stampfl.

Spread the radio love

Giuseppe’s Homemade “Magic Tablet” Antenna System

6 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè, who writes:

Dear Thomas,

This is Giuseppe Morlè, from Formia central Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea,

I built this “Magic Tablet. during a rainy afternoon to test various portables I have.

The tablet is composed of 2 separate circuits: one for the short waves, a single coil along the entire perimeter of the tablet, and another with 2 ferrites wrapped around 36 turns of telephone cable for the medium waves.

The heart of the system is a 1050 pf variable capacitor with its old wheel.

To listen to medium wave I have to exclude the short wave loop with a switch on the loop.

I also added another small switch to connect it to a capacitor for more or less capacity, but this I will do later.

I can test my portables like this because the tablet tunes very well from 500 kHz to 18 MHz. I spent very little to make all this as it is all recycled stuff.

You can see the first tests on the balcony of my house with a Tecsun H-501 via my YouTube channel:

Note: this video is in Italian, but you can turn on closed captions and have it translate into the language of your choice.

As I always say, I am not a technician and I have little manual skills in building things, not having a proper laboratory. When I get an idea, I put it on paper and I start to find all the materials and then see if they work. Not all of us are of the experts in electronics–what drives me is a passion for radio listening. Now being retired, I have more time to devote to it.

Thanks to you and hello to the whole SWLing Post community …

73. Giuseppe Morlè (IZ0GZW)

I love this, Giuseppe! What a clever all-in-one portable antenna system for your shortwave radios. I especially love the fact you were able to create all of this from parts you have at your home. You’ve got a winning attitude, too: build and experiment!  Thank you for sharing.

Spread the radio love

Jock explores “The Essential Listening Post”

24 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jock Elliott, who shares the following guest post:

The Essential Listening Post

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

Listening to shortwave radio (or any radio, for that matter) is just plain fun.

So what do you need to get in on the fun?

A radio. With today’s crop of portable SW radios, many of which have search and store capabilities, a newbie SWL can get started quickly without a lot fuss and bother and no extra stuff. Just hit the search and store function (it has different names on different radios), let the search function do its thing, and step through the memories to see what’s out there. If your radio doesn’t have search and store, you can just tune around to see what’s currently broadcasting or, if you have a computer or smart phone, use it to explore one of the online directories like https://shortwaveschedule.com/

What follow next are some things that I’ve found increase my enjoyment of SWLing. Continue reading →

Spread the radio love

Radio applications for an Oiiwak Digital Endoscope

Leave a reply

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who writes:

Hi Thomas,

I recently purchased an Oiiwak Digital Endoscope [affiliate link] for household use.

It consists of a 33 foot optical cable and handheld four inch monitor It has an internal battery that can take photos and videos of areas that are hard to get to. I bought it to check things such as chimneys, inside walls, dryer vents, pipe clogs (this one has a waterproof lens), range hood vents, roof vents, etc. The price of endoscopes has gone down precipitously and you can save even more if you have a Smartphone as there are endoscopes probe cables that attach directly to them. I purchased mine for about $100 from Amazon. There are many makes and models to choose from though.

This gadget might be of interest to hams, SWLs or anyone needing to route antennas through walls, or other dark spaces. For example, you could drill a test hole through a wall then thread the probe cable into the space to see if there are any wires, pipes or other hidden obstructions. I’ve drilled completely through the siding of my home to an inside wall on many occasions while keeping my fingers crossed that no electrical wires or pipes would be damaged. Now, with my endoscope, it won’t be such a worrisome procedure.

Thanks and 73’s,

Mario Filippi, N2HUN

Thank you for sharing this, Mario! The pricing on household borescopes or endoscopes has really fallen over the past few years. I have one persistent plumbing issue in our house and this gadget could help me identify the location. To have a pro come out to the house with a commercial grade camera, it’s an instant $300 plus taxes. As a bonus, I could use it to inspect my antenna conduit!

Thanks again, Mario.

Spread the radio love