Category Archives: AM

Radio Waves: Nebraska Radio History, KBS Radio, AM Radio, Free Radio Preservation Webinar, and Belka Review

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Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Mike, Jeramy Phillips, Fred Waterer, and Dennis Dura for the following tips:

Nebraska Radio History

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jeramy Phillips, who writes:

Greetings, Thomas.

I thought you might like this little bit about some Nebraska radio history:
https://history.nebraska.gov/norfolks-wjag-and-the-roots-of-political-talk-radio/

That blog post also links to an article that has a lot more in-depth information.
https://history.nebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/doc_publications_NH2011WJAG.pdf

Enjoy!

KBS WORLD Radio 70th Anniversary Special (KBS World)

August 15 marks 70 years since the start of KBS WORLD Radio. For the past 70 years, KBS WORLD Radio grew and evolved with the development of Korean history, through the Korean War, the democratization of Korea and the rapid economic growth that South Korea has seen.

And to celebrate our 70th anniversary, we have prepared a special #InDepthNewsAnalysis with three public media experts to look back on the past 70 years of KBS WORLD Radio, to discuss the role of public international media and also how the next 70 years to come.

Letter: Emergency Response in Maui Fires Highlights Radio’s Importance (Radio World)

Engineer Ron Schadt says people have become way too reliant on cell phones

An interesting story from CBS News about the fires in Maui. If you read through it, nothing worked. Sirens didn’t work, cell phones were sketchy or not working at all, no electricity, etc. etc. If you read through the entire story, near the end is one line: “Emergency management had to resort to radio to communicate with the victims of the fires.”

Well, well, interesting that what we have been saying all along is really true, the oldest form of contacting people is still the most reliable and unfortunately, because people are so attached to their stupid phones, radio has to be “resorted to.” This little section of this article needs to get to these senators and congressmen who are on this AM in every car movement. [Continue reading…]

Save AM Radio? Why?!? (The Gate)

Politicians come to the rescue.

Radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation — or AM — has been used commercially for greater than 100 years. Its heyday generally ranged for decades from the 1930s through the 1970s as its programming content transitioned from dramas and comedies to popular music to talk programs, with the latest news mixed into each format. Advancements in technology has arguably rendered AM radio virtually obsolete. Why save AM radio from extinction?

Save AM Radio? Why?!?

The waning popularity of terrestrial AM radio technology is not so much the reason as to its potential extinction. Rather, the reason is due to the technology of electric vehicles — and because rental car companies such as Hertz have been increasing the number of electric vehicles in their fleets, the days of listening to AM radio in rental vehicles may be numbered.

The electric motors which power the drive wheels in order to propel electric vehicles also tend to generate electromagnetic interference with the reception of AM broadcast radio directly through the receiver. That interference can result in annoyances which range from buzzing, distortion, and fading of the signal itself to static and sounds of crackling instead of clear reception. Streaming audio of programs from AM radio stations — as well as the reception of FM stations — remain unaffected.

Always seeking to save time and money, eight of 20 of the leading carmakers in the world have removed AM broadcast radio from their electric vehicles; and manufacturers of electric vehicles are considering eliminating the option of tuning in to AM radio in their vehicles. Engineers have not found an easy way to eliminate the aforementioned interference without adding excessive weight to the car or increasing the cost of the vehicle…. [Continue reading…]

Preserving Broadcast History (NAB)

Join NAB and the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) on Wednesday, August 23 at 2 p.m. ET for the first of a two-part series to learn the importance of documenting and preserving broadcast history for future generations.

Part One: The “Preserving Broadcast History” webinar will provide guidance for broadcasters on how to catalog your station’s history, best practices for creating an inventory and where to store this data and information. A Q-and-A will follow the webinar.

Featuring:

  • Jack Goodman, co-chair, LABF
  • April Carty-Sipp, executive vice president, Industry Affairs, NAB
  • Laura Schnitker, Ph.D., C.A., curator, Mass Media and Culture, University of Maryland’s Special Collections and University Archives
  • Mike Henry, reference specialist, University of Maryland’s Special Collections and University Archives

Click here for more information and to register for free!

Belka Review (N9EWO)

Click here to read Dave’s review of the Belka receiver. Thanks to Mike for the tip!

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Guest Post: A review of the Chaoyuan LC90 Hybrid Shortwave/4G/Internet Radio

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Michael Ye (BD4AAQ), for the following guest post:

The LC90, a Great Radio Spanning Two Worlds

by Michael Ye (BD4AAQ)

It is an awkward era for radio receivers. Although technology becomes more and more advanced and increasingly sophisticated radios are made, there are fewer and fewer stations to listen to. But hardcore radio hobbyists, mostly hams and shortwave listeners, would not give up the hobby. They continue to look for and enjoy stations among noises in the airwaves. Although Internet radios have been around for a long time, I never thought seriously about them. Perhaps I was stubborn, but in my mind, radios were noises and noises were radios and it’s the stations among the noises that I enjoyed. Receivers without noises were hardly real radios.

Until I got my first full band radio with Internet features. The LC90 was a pleasant surprise, completely changing the way I look at radio receivers. The LC90, or “full band smart Internet radio”, is my first shortwave radio AND Internet radio in one. There may be other radios with Internet features, but I have heard of few receivers that integrate the traditional radio (shortwave in particular) and the Internet. The LC90 was launched in China in early 2023, and quickly became popular among hobbyists thanks to the unique combination. News has been confirmed that the overseas version of the LC90 will be launched later this year. It provides more options for users at a time when shortwave broadcasters continue to shut down transmitters and bid final farewell.

Chaoyuan Company

The manufacturer of the LC90 is Chaoyuan, an electronics company based in Shenzhen, China, known for mobile phone design and Hi-Fi equipment. In recent years they started to design and make radios. And they are serious about the business, too.

The LC90 full band smart Internet radio

The Radio at a Glance

The radio is of regular size. A computer mouse is placed in the picture above, so you have an idea of not only the radio’s looks but also its size. The exact dimensions are 200x122x40mm. Its weight is 640 grams. The radio has a built in 4G SIM card, with 3G prepaid data. You have to add credit to the card in time by scanning a QR code on the screen before the built-in SIM card expires. You can also use your own SIM card by inserting it to a slot at the bottom of the radio. And of course, you could use Wi-Fi at home.

Although the radio is a combination of the traditional radio and the Internet, it is very ingeniously designed and does not put off the user with too many bells and whistles – you could press the tuning button to change the shortwave band and the fine tuning button to change the band width. The tuning button also serves as an “enter” key. These are clever designs that effectively save extra buttons. I have not seen a similar design in other radios.

For those who do not read Chinese, the upper five buttons are, roughly, “Configure”, “Timer”, “Setup”, “History” and “Favorites”. The four buttons on the left: “Confirm”, “Stations”, “News” and “Menu”. The four buttons on the right: “Back”, “Sequence”, “Rewind” and “Fast Forward”. The button with a globe says “Internet”.

The radio has excellent audio quality, rich bass, with a well-balanced frequency response. It is powered by two 18650 rechargeable lithium batteries. The radio has no back stand.

Traditional Radio

All three modes (or bands) are available, FM, MW and SW, as shown in the three buttons on the upper right (to get LW just press MW again). The FM band covers 64-108MHz, which includes Japan’s FM band. During the FMDX season you could have stations from Japan and other countries to explore. The SW band covers 2300-26100KHz, continuous, almost the entire shortwave band, more than enough for broadcast listening. The antenna jack works for all three modes (or bands).

Excellent Shortwave Performance

As a shortwave listener of many years, I am most interested in the radio’s performance in shortwave reception. Well, it is indeed very good in terms of sensitivity, selectivity and audio quality, with no compromise although the radio has an Internet section which requires additional space and resources.

When you use the radio indoor, reception could be poor and you can insert an external antenna to the antenna jack. Unfortunately, I cannot connect my AOR LA400 loop antenna to it as the antenna jack is too close to the tuning knob and so there is not sufficient space for the plug (see picture). Generally, a 3.5mm plug with a wire should work well if you extend the wire outside.

The external antenna jack

If there is a disappointment, its shortwave reception does not decode SSB signals. If the user is not a ham radio hobbyist, SSB reception may not be really needed anyway and the buttons, circuits and space can be saved accordingly.

Fair FM Reception

FM reception is good, but there is no obvious improvement of reception when an external plug is inserted in the antenna jack.

Mediocre MW Work

Reception on the lower bands, e.g., the medium wave band, is always a challenge in cities. It is not surprising that medium wave performance of the LC90 is mediocre at best. I don’t do much MW DXing but nowadays for each MW frequency there is almost always an FM frequency. Let’s face it – we should perhaps forget about medium wave reception in cities where there is excessive low band EMI.

However, if you go outdoor with the radio, medium wave reception can still be a lot of fun. And, contrary to FM reception, an external antenna significantly improves its performance!

Internet Radio

Admit it or not, the best days of traditional radio are gone, and while we continue to have fun on the old time radio, we should not hesitate to embrace newer technologies such as the Internet. By launching the LC90 and combining the two, Chaoyuan has made a significant move.

The Internet radio is an integrator of many online stations on the Internet, and more. It is completely different from the traditional radio which receives radio signals transmitted on air. The Internet radio, which relies on the Internet, provides much better audio quality, no noise, customizable and replay-able.

If you want to kill time and look for signals from noises, turn to shortwave and enjoy DXing. If you feel like listening to solid content or enjoying noise-free music, the Internet radio is there for you. This Internet radio integrates major web stations in China and on that basis the user can further select and configure their own favorites. Among apps that are built-in is Ximalaya FM, the leading audio platform in China. Due to requirements of policies and regulations in China, the user does not have much discretion to include foreign stations in the radio. However, Chaoyuan has indicated that they are working in an effort to secure authorizations from Spotify, Alexa and Pandora which they hope could be incorporated in the overseas version of the LC90. The future overseas version is expected to give the user more discretion to include online stations of their own choice.

A closer look at the display of the Internet Radio

Two buttons, Ai1 and Ai2, are voice assistants. Activate and speak to them and the radio directly plays the content (Ai1) or displays their findings for you to choose from (Ai2).

Finally, this is a radio with the most accurate time. There is no need to set the time for it, as it is based on the Internet.

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Radio Waves: Great Solar Storm of 1940, Hawaii DJ’s Lack Vital Info, Edison Claims AM/FM Audio Usage Surpasses YouTube, and Radio 4 Longwave Reception

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Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Troy Riedel, Dennis Dura and David Shannon for the following tips:

The Great Solar Storm of March 1940 (Spaceweather.com)

This story is shocking. On March 24, 1940, a solar storm hit Earth so hard it made copper wires in the United States crackle with 800 volts of electricity. A New York Times headline declared that a “sunspot tornado” had arrived, playing havoc with any signal that had to travel through metal wires.

“For a few hours it completely disrupted all long-distance communication,” wrote astronomer Seth B. Nicholson in a recap of the event for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Radio announcers seemed to be “talking a language no one could understand.” The New York Times reported that more than a million telephone and teletype messages had been garbled: “Veteran electrical engineers unhesitatingly pronounced it the worst thing of its kind within their memory.”

So why have you never heard of this storm? Even in 1940 it was fairly quickly forgotten. World War II was underway in Europe, and the USA was on the verge of joining. People had other things on their minds.

Modern researchers, however, are paying attention. A team led by Jeffrey Loveof the USGS Geomagnetism Program just published a new study of the event in the research journal Space Weather. Their work confirms that it was no ordinary solar storm.

“It was unusually violent,” says Love. “There were very rapid changes in Earth’s magnetic field, and this induced big voltages in long metal wires.” [Continue reading at Spaceweather.com…]

[…]Read Love’s original research here: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022SW003379

A valued source of communication, Maui radio DJs grapple with lack of information (Hawaii News Now)

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – From taking calls of desperation, to sharing what they know when they know it, local radio hosts have long been a valued source of communication, especially during disasters.

However in light of the recent fires, many on Maui have expressed concerns that information from the government in times of disasters is far too sparse and delayed.

Lines of communication remain severed with cell towers burned to the ground. That’s leaving radio as one of the few dependable sources of communication, which is putting added pressure on local outlets.

Veteran radio host Ed Kapoi of KISS took a call from Napili, North of Kaanapali.

“People are desperate. Babies need diapers and formula. The elderly need their medication,” one caller said through tears.

It just rocks you to your core it really does. It’s hard to take those kind of phone calls,” Kapoi said.

Fellow KISS radio host Brandee Carvalho added, “We hear their crying, their tears, their desperate pleas. It is real. It’s very real for me.” [Continue reading…]

Hawaii residents turn to radio station for vital updates (YouTube)

Click here to watch on YouTube.

AM/FM Radio Is Most Listened to Audio Source in U.S. (Radio World)

Edison Research says streaming music and YouTube claim 2nd and 3rd place

Edison Research just released its latest “Share of Ear” findings. The quarterly study determines what portion of all audio time is spent with different platforms.

The analysis looks at all audio usage across the United States among Americans age 13 and older. The data is gathered from a detailed one-day diary entry administered either online or via mail. Share of Ear data has been continuously updated since 2014. Find this quarter’s insights compiled in the graph below.

Per Edison’s findings this quarter, AM and FM radio (counting both over-the-air and streams) accounted for 36 percent of all listening for Americans age 13 and older. Streaming music via platforms like Spotify, Pandora and Apple Music, among others, accounted for 18 percent of all listening time. Using YouTube for music and/or music videos accounted for 14 percent of all listening time; followed by podcasts, SiriusXM and “owned music” — a.k.a. CD’s and other digital music files.[Continue reading…]

“Radio 4 gets a terrible reception over scrapping long wave amid fears older people will struggle with digital radio” (Daily Mail)

[Editor’s Note: Per Wikipedia, “The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news website published in London.”]

Listeners have criticised Radio 4’s retreat from long wave amid fears that older people will struggle with digital radio.

The BBC said last year it will stop scheduling separate content for the long wave version of the station in ‘anticipation of the closure’ of the platform.

Programmes which are on long wave but not Radio 4 FM include Test Match Special, editions of the Shipping Forecast, the Daily Service and a longer version of Yesterday in Parliament.

These shows will be available on other platforms once separate scheduling for long wave ends next March.

It is expected that listeners will be directed to the digital BBC Sounds audio platform to find these programmes. [Continue reading…]

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Radio Waves: AM Vehicle Act Passes Committee, iHeart Supports AM, Swan Island and Equatorial Guinea

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Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura and Tracy Wood for the following tips:

Senate Committee Passes “AM For Every Vehicle Act,” Sends It to Senate Floor (Radio World)

Committee gives the legislation a green light

On Thursday morning, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation officially passed the AM For Every Vehicle Act on to the Senate floor. The executive session was broadcast live and facilitated by committee chair Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat representing Washington state.

The ranking Republican, Sen. Ted Cruz, supports the measure, saying in a statement that “AM radio is vital to free expression and viewpoint diversity” and “allows Americans, especially conservatives, to communicate their points of view and help free speech flourish.”

The legislation was passed via a voice vote, and, while not every senator’s vote was recorded, the National Association of Broadcasters said Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, asked that he be recorded as a ‘no.’” Michigan is home to the U.S. automaker industry, which opposes the AM For Every Vehicle Act. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which has a base in Michigan, recently said, “Congress has never mandated radio features in vehicles ever before.” It called the bill unnecessary. [Continue reading…]

“iHeart Is Still Focused on AM as a Medium” (Radio World)

Littlejohn and Mullinax describe recent projects to protect and extend its investment

At a time where the viability of the U.S. AM broadcast band has come under the microscope, what’s the prevailing attitude of iHeartMedia and the 250 AM properties it owns and operates?

Continue to invest, says Jeff Littlejohn.

“iHeart is still focused on AM radio as a medium,” said the company’s executive vice president of engineering and systems integration. “We see the importance AM has not only as an entertainment medium, but for news and information.”

Among other things, Littlejohn strongly believes in AM’s importance for emergency weather coverage. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in South Florida.

In addition to being an iconic AM signal dating to the 1920s, iHeartMedia’s news/talk 610 WIOD in Miami has received notoriety and awards — including regional recognition from the Associated Press — for its breaking news and weather coverage, notably during Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina and Wilma. [Continue reading…]

Notes about two Spanish language stations (Tracy Wood)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tracy Wood, who writes:

I continue to enjoy the blog. Yes, those radio sets that appear in Spanish TV (and in the movies) are great! Lots of Grundigs, Philips, Telefunkens, and national brands.

Here are the two items

(1) Swan Island

At one time this was the home to Radio Swan, the US-funded anti-Castro clandestine radio station on AM and shortwave of the 1960s. Now Honduras wants to convert it to a prison island

https://time.com/6295724/honduras-islas-del-cisne-prison-island/

For more details see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Swan

(2) Equatorial Guinea

Thanks to WorldRadioMap for originally posting this audio link [note that this playlist must be downloaded and used with an audio streaming application]: https://rrsatrtmp.tulix.tv/tvgeradio/tvgeradio/playlist.m3u8

Yes. Radio Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial, Malabo, is now streaming on the Internet. The main language is Spanish but I suspect other languages may be heard. The hosting company (out of Atlanta) handles both their TV and radio streams. The TV channel’s website is https://tvgelive.gq/ but there is no radio-specific website yet.

As a reminder, the country’s other station is commercial – Asonga Radio. It is owned by the president’s son. Audio is at https://asongaradio.com/

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Radio Waves: What Listeners Like, Renaissance of Radio, WOR in Photographs, DIY Faraday Cage

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Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura, Mark Erdle, and Jock Elliott for the following tips:

‘It’s what listeners like’: AM radio purveyors on the Palouse hope automakers heed call to keep their medium alive (The Spokesman-Review)

The rolling, green-turning-golden hills just outside Steve Shannon’s studio window at the offices of Inland Northwest Broadcasting north of downtown Moscow aren’t just pretty to look at.

They’re also the reason the AM radio dial remains important in this expansive, rural stretch of the country.

FM broadcasting is based on line-of-sight, but the pesky thing about AM waves is that they pass through anything, Shannon explained. And they reach a monthly audience that’s still more than 82 million strong across the country, most of them in areas just like the Palouse, according to a fall 2022 survey by broadcast tracking company Nielsen.

“People are tuning in to AM because they are listening to content they can’t get anywhere else,” said Shannon, operations manager for the group that is behind six stations on both the AM and FM dial broadcasting in Moscow and Colfax.

The future of the format seemed in jeopardy just a few short weeks ago, when broadcasters convened in Washington D.C. and pushed federal lawmakers to pressure carmakers who were pondering an end to AM receivers in new cars. Electric vehicles, growing in popularity and headed for a likely continued boom, especially with Washington outlawing the sale of new gas-powered cars beginning in 2035, create interference with a signal that can make AM transmissions difficult to hear, according to automakers.

That pressure, which included the introduction of legislation that would have required manufacturers to install AM receivers in new cars, appears to have made the point. In late May, Ford’s chief executive officer announced on social media it had reversed course and would provide the service in all 2024 Ford and Lincoln models after planning to remove it from some models because of higher costs and lack of listeners. [Continue reading…]

The renaissance of AM radio: a confluence of social, regulatory and technical revitalization (Cardinal News)

AM radio, a pioneering force in the world of broadcast communications, has for several decades been an essential medium for disseminating information and entertainment. However, its appeal has been progressively diminishing due to social, regulatory and technical challenges. Nevertheless, this scenario presents an opportunity for a significant revival.

The decline of AM radio can be traced back to significant changes in content, notably the reduction in locally focused programming. Many AM station owners made strategic decisions to move away from content that directly catered to local communities, often replacing local news, events and issue discussions with syndicated programming. These changes left a void of locally relevant content, reducing listeners’ connection with stations.

The Federal Communications Commission’s abolition of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 exacerbated the situation. This doctrine, which required broadcasters to present contrasting views on controversial issues of public importance, ensured a balanced discourse on the airwaves. Its repeal led to increased broadcasts favoring extreme political views, either heavily liberal or conservative. While this trend may have appealed to specific audience segments, it risked alienating listeners seeking balanced discourse.

Compounding these programming shifts, religious content on the AM band has considerably increased. While serving an essential audience, the sheer volume of these broadcasts reduced the variety and balance of programming, possibly leading potential listeners to turn away. [Continue reading…]

Radio Station WOR in Photographs – 1939 (AWM on YouTube)

In 1939 photographer Ralston B. Collins made a photo album of metro New York radio station WOR. This album is from the J. R. Poppele Collection at the Antique Wireless Museum.

Building a Simple Faraday Cage, by OhioGalt (SurvivalBlog.com)

This article describes the effects of EMP and CME and how to build a simple inexpensive Faraday cage.

Most readers of the SurvivalBlog are aware of the potential damage from either a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) or an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) and the impact on everyday electronics. With an EMP, an electromagnetic pulse is generated at high altitudes from a nuclear explosion damaging sensitive electronics. A CME damages electronics in a similar way with the release of a large solar flare from the sun reaches carrying magnetic fluxes and plasma toward earth. These magnetic fluxes interfere with Earth’s magnetic fields and create current surges in power systems and electronics. As of this writing, there is several C and M class flare activity causing some Amateur Radio blackouts on the lower bands. To follow active solar weather visit Spaceweather.com. [Continue reading…]

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TomL’s Guide to Using Computer Audio PlugIns with Older Radios

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

Using Computer Audio PlugIns with Older Radios

by TomL

Older radios have a way to get audio out to speakers or another audio input device, usually just a headphone jack.  Software for processing audio are plentiful and very useful tools, called VST’s.  Furthermore, most Plugins were made for Musicians needing full frequency spectrum capability.  I will use my Kenwood TS-590S amateur radio as a test case.  I have used its speaker output to a cheap Behringer UCA-202 RCA to USB converter (it has its own volume control to keep it from overloading).

Amazon Link: Behringer UCA202

My Windows 10 Sounds Properties sees this audio as “3-USB Audio CODEC” which I have enabled on a physical USB hub with individual power switches for each port.  Thanks to Steve (K1GMM) and his YouTube channel (K1GMM Green Mountain Maniac) for describing how to use Windows plugins for processing either Receive or Transmit audio.  This article only focuses on Receive audio.

For my simpler needs, I have chosen to use VST Host.  It will run the small “apps” that usually have a file extension of .VST or .DLL.  I downloaded it right from Steve’s website:

https://kc1egu.wixsite.com/essb-ham-radio/copy-of-icom-ic7300-others

I then downloaded a number of plugins suggested by Steve on his web site (“More” Menu pulldown, DAW’s/VST DOWNLOADS).  Each VST file can be copied to a central directory/folder on your computer and all read from the same place inside the VST Host.  Most of these are Windows types but there are some for Linux if that is something you use.  I found that VST Host does NOT like a write- protected directory, so it and the VST’s reside in my top-level Documents directory.

My resulting “chain” of VST’s process the audio from my 3-USB Audio CODEC in a sequential manner, which are:

  • ModernAmplifier (a Limiter to keep strong signals from overloading the processing)
  • ReaFir (an interesting “Subtract” feature where I cut down on the “roar” around 800-1200 Hz)
  • Bertom Denoiser Pro (EXCELLENT static & background noise reducer)
  • TDR Nova (a powerful, well-made Compessor & DynamicEQ combo)
  • Sennheiser-AMBEO-Orbit (a Binaural soundscape).

Once VST Host is installed, create a separate folder for the VST files.  Now just copy the VST3 or DLL file for each of the apps downloaded like the ones I list above.  If you have a 32-bit version of Windows, you will have to use the VST’s that are 32-bit, not 64-bit.

In VST Host, set the Wave Input and Output and sampling rate (Menu: Devices—Wave).  In my case it is the aforementioned 3-USB Audio CODEC for (Microphone) Input Port and VoiceMeeter Aux-Input for the Output Port.  The sampling rate is set to 48000  (You can choose Output to your “Default Speakers” which should be in the list if you do not use an extra mixer software like I do).

Now, go to Menu: File, Plugins and load each plugin that you want to use.  The VST3 or DLL files should all be in the same directory that you made earlier.  You may have to tell VST Host where to find them by setting the Plugin Path (Menu: File, Set Plugin Path…).

Now, once you have all the VST apps opened, you will notice that all of their individual outputs go directly to the VST Host Output.  Not good, since your computer will not have enough cores to parallel-process all of these apps at the same time.  So, Unchain them all by right-clicking on each app and choosing “Unchain”.

Now you will see all of the yellow connecting lines gone.  Arrange (click/drag) each app in sequential order on the screen.  Starting from the bottom up, right click on the app just above VST Output and choose Chain After…

Repeat up the chain, choosing the one above it to Chain After until you are left with a Daisy-Chain of apps, each output going to the Input of the next app in your desired order of processing:

Now turn on the radio to get audio going through the chain of apps.  Tweaking each app is part of the tedious process of learning if an app will help or not.  Just replace and Chain After in the order you want with other VST apps that you find more helpful.  Tinkering with this should yield some satisfactory results if you do not overdo applying features in each app.  To save the layout and VST settings, go to Menu: Performance, Save As and give it a name to store in the data file shown (just a name since it will put it into the default line 000 for you).  You can choose this in future sessions from the main pulldown Menu below File. (Note: It is called “Performance” because this stuff was written for Musicians to save their home studio music along with the settings for shaping the music tracks; 99% of planet earth calls this a “Layout”, a la, Microsoft Office)

Here are two examples of sound from the radio without processing and then adding in each app over a few seconds.

LZ1AA from Bulgaria. Processing 10 secs., off 15 secs., on again 8 secs.

Audio Player

 

CHU Canada. Processing on, space, processing off. Notice a little “water” effect since AM Broadcast needs quite different settings compared to SSB Ham Radio.

Audio Player

You can check out Steve’s “Green Mountain Maniac” YouTube channel and see for yourself what can be done with sound processing for Radio.  Some of his techniques can be used with old shortwave radio receivers as long as it has a working headphone jack or AUX Out jack:

K1GMM-RXDAP VST HOST YouTube video

Cheers and Happy Listening,

TomL

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The new Sangean MMR-99 series emergency radio

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

Thomas,

I saw the Radio World review of the Sangean MMR-99 (page 16).

As I usually do I go to the source which in this case is the Sangean website to find

    • Sangean MMR-99 FCC AM/FM and in the USA version Weather radio band.
    • Sangean MMR-99 which is the UK version which is AM in the MF band for 9/10 kHz channel spacing No Low Frequency (LW) band.
    • Sangean MMR-99 DAB which is interesting because it is typically DAB+/FM no AM or Weather Band.

Your posters around the world may wish to review this radio which is available on line and in retailers.

Thank you for the tip! Impressive that MMR-99 is IP55 rated and ruggedized. I like the fact they’ve also made regional variants of this radio even including DAB.

The US version of the Sangean MMR-99 is available on Amazon.com (affiliate link) for $89.76 shipped. 

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