Category Archives: Books

Amanda Dawn Christie’s Book on the Radio Canada International Antennas

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who writes:


Amanda Dawn Christie’s Book on the Radio Canada International Antennas

Amanda Dawn Christie together with Thaddeus Holownia and Radio Canada International has authored a 96-page bilingual book titled “Ghost Stations = Stations Fantômes” a catalogue of an exhibition in the Upper Gallery at 50 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, home of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, in March and April 2022. Amanda’s film and a shortwave radio simulcast were featured during the exhibition. From the preface of the book:

“Ghost Stations was an exhibition about the remarkable — and now-demolished — shortwave antenna array on the Tantramar Marshes in Sackville, New Brunswick that Radio Canada International (RCI) used to transmit programming internationally from 1945 until 2012.”

This is a true hard-cover art book with exquisite page display, typography, and binding and comes with a slip cover. Lots of great photographs and two extended essays: “Photography, Film, and Electricity” and “Radio Canada International’s Modern Spirit.” The end-pieces of the book feature images of a CBC Radio-Canada International Service QSL card.

A limited number of copies of the book are available from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts:

Price List

Pick-up in Ottawa (no shipping)
CAD $50.85

Shipping anywhere in Canada
CAD $70.85

Shipping anywhere in US
$70.00 (U.S. Dollars)

Shipping Outside of USA/CANADA
CAD $85.00

How to Pay:

Through cheque
Send a cheque through the post:
Payable to the RCA
50 Sussex Dr
Ottawa, ON
Canada
K1M 2C9

Online
Pay through paypal link:
Follow the link paypal.me/RCAARC

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Hot Off The Press: The Worldwide Listening Guide’s Eleventh Edition

As a dedicated content DXer and broadcast enthusiast, I’ve always found joy in the pursuit of obscure programming across various mediums. While shortwave radio has been my preferred method since childhood, the allure of Wi-Fi radio and streaming content has grown increasingly appealing over time. Amidst the vast landscape of online content, The Worldwide Listening Guide (WWLG) has consistently stood out as my go-to resource, and the recently released eleventh edition continues to be an invaluable tool for content discovery.

Once again, author and curator John Figliozzi has crafted a comprehensive guide tailored to the diverse interests of SWLs like myself. Going beyond a mere programming guide, the WWLG delves deep into the world of broadcasting and content delivery, covering platforms such as AM, Shortwave, FM, Satellite Radio, Internet (WiFi Radio), and Podcasting.

Each chapter dedicated to these platforms serves as a simple primer, offering insights into the state of broadcasting from both the broadcaster’s and listener’s perspectives. Reminiscent of the informative Passport to Worldband Radio that I first encountered in the 1990s, the WWLG not only provides programming details but also addresses the health and potential longevity of each platform.

What truly sets the WWLG apart is its attention to both over-the-air and online broadcasting.

Even for someone reasonably knowledgeable about radio and the media landscape, each edition of The Worldwide Listening Guide brings fresh discoveries. The eleventh edition, presented in a slim volume, maintains this tradition. What particularly pleases me is the WWLG‘s spiral-bound format, which makes it incredibly convenient to reference while exploring the airwaves or navigating the internet.

Figliozzi’s exploration of the many facets of radio is both insightful and detailed, making the WWLG an indispensable resource for anyone interested in broadcasting. It serves as a curated guide, akin to a local independent bookstore for online content and programming, aiding listeners in navigating the abundance of options.

Furthermore, each edition of the WWLG contains new and updated content, showcasing Figliozzi’s keen awareness of the dynamic space that is online streaming and downloadable media. As a dear friend of mine, I know there simply couldn’t be a better author and curator for this volume.

Packed with a wealth of information, The Worldwide Listening Guide is a true bargain, promising to keep content DXers engaged for years to come. I wholeheartedly recommend it to those seeking a deeper understanding of broadcasting and a reliable tool for content discovery.

Click here to purchase from Universal Radio.

Click here to purchase The Worldwide Listening Guide on Amazon.com. Note that this Amazon affiliate link supports the SWLing Post at no cost to you. Thank you!

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Peter is impressed with the 2024 World Radio and TV Handbook

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Peter Luskey, who writes:

My new WRTH 2024 arrived from Germany on.the Radiodata earlybird program through their USA package fulfillment agent on Wednesday, 20 Dec. 2024, undamaged in excellent shape through USPS priority mail. This is the earliest date in the season that I have ever received my annual copy.

Editorially it seems to be a fine job, with a larger typeface in the front feature material and a slightly smaller but highly readable sans serif typeface in the balance of the book. The book actually contains more material than last year’s edition, despite being 816 pages in length, 32 pages fewer than last year.

Of particular interest is the greatly expanded SW broadcasting frequency list, which now indicates broadcasting days of the week and times of day divided by language, transmitter site and target area. All of the features from last year have been retained, including MW AM frequency lists for all major regions of the world, including North America, and the FM lists are now split by state or province for many countries, including the USA and Canada. They are again offering a digital edition updated every day, at a charge discounted for owners of a printed copy.

I am delighted by both the expanded content and the speed and quality of the shipment, and recommend that broadcasting DXers of every part of the spectrum consider either or both the print and digital editions.

Peter Luskey

Click here to order a copy of WRTH 2024 or check out the WRTH home page.

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Announcing Don Moore’s latest book: Tales of a Vagabond DXer

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and friend Don Moore–noted author, traveler, and DXer–for sharing the following announcement about his latest book! Don is a brilliant author–you’ll enjoy accompanying him on his travels and radio journey in this latest book. I highly recommend all of his work!


 

Tales of a Vagabond DXer

Tales of a Vagabond DXer by Don Moore is a new book focusing on Latin American radio and DXing. In this 300-page volume, Don blends together stories from his radio station visits, his travels, and his experiences as a DXer. Don has been an active member of the DX listening hobby for over five decades. His interest in Latin American radio inspired him to serve in the Peace Corps in Honduras in the early 1980s.

Since then, he has traveled extensively in Latin America and visited more than 150 radio stations in the region. He has written dozens of articles on Latin American DXing for radio hobby publications including Monitoring Times, the NASWA Journal, Review of International Broadcasting, and Passport to World Band Radio. Today, Don is a regular contributor to the SWLing Post Blog.

Tales of a Vagabond DXer is available from Amazon.com in trade-sized paperback for $12.99 or Kindle eBook for $4.99, or for equivalent prices in local currencies on non-US Amazon stores.

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3t98tZt

Kindle: https://amzn.to/47O3Nak

Note: the Amazon Affiliate links above not only support author Don Moore, but Amazon shares a small percentage of the final sale with the SWLing Post as well. 

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On Netflix: “All The Light We Cannot See” and radio references

Many thanks to a number of readers who have noted that All The Light We Cannot See is now on Netflix. You may recall, we’re quite big fans of the book which has a strong radio theme.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jake Brodsky who notes:

Heads up: Netflix is serializing a story that centers around SW radio
during WWII in occupied France.

Here’s the IMDB reference https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15320362/

And I’ve just seen the first episode. Aside from some inevitable
anachronisms such as a dial that looks a lot like that of a signal
generator and a dial measured in MHz (That designation didn’t come
until the 1960s) It’s a good story and VERY radio centric.

More detail from Netflix can be found at
https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/all-the-light-we-cannot-see-cast

Also, SWLing Post contributor, Les Polt, notes a few of the radio quirks he found in the series:

This series on Netflix, based on a best-selling novel, shows a German officer listening to an illegal Resistance broadcast on his short wave receiver in occupied France during WWII. The receiver dial clearly is marked “MHz”, which was not adopted until 1970. I also heard a character referring to a “transceiver”, a term not in use that far back.

I’d be curious to identify the receiver.

This screenshot also shows a radio direction finder, presumably of German World War II vintage.

Many thanks, Les, for the screenshots and notes! I, too, and curious if anyone can ID that dial–perhaps it’s just a set mark up?

If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend reading the book by Anthony Doerr upon which this series is based. It’s superb, especially if you love WWII history and radio. Check it out on Amazon (affiliate link).

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Netflix shares trailer for “All the Light We Cannot See”

Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post readers who have noted that Netflix has now published a trailer for “All the Light We Cannot See.”

Click here to view on YouTube.

All the Light We Cannot See is a book written by Anthony Doerr a favorite read among radio enthusiasts who also love a little WWII historical fiction. If you haven’t read this book, I can highly recommend it. Click here to read Greg’s book review.

The movie appears to have a star-studded cast and I do hope it does this amazing book justice! You’ve got a few months to read the book before the movie starts streaming on Netflix in November 2023.

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20th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Summer 2023) Now Available

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gayle Van Horn (W4GVH), who shares the following announcement:


20th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Summer 2023) Now Available

While the world looks on in awe at dazzling displays of aurora, reaching ever closer to our planet’s equator, radio hobbyists are equally excited at the impacts our sun’s increased activity has had on the radio spectrum.

From enhanced propagation on the higher HF bands, to more frequent auroral activity on mediumwave and even hobbyists tuning in to the ionosphere itself through ‘natural radio’, Solar Cycle 25 is proving to be quite the motivator for radio hobbyists to reach for their radios.

If you want to know where and how to tune-in, Gayle Van Horn’s (W4GVH) Amazon bestselling Global Radio Guide (now in its 20th edition for the Summer of 2023) as it has all the details to make sure you miss none of the action.

Larry Van Horn (N5FPW) helps break down exactly what the increased solar activity means for radio listeners on the high frequency (HF) shortwave bands.  Think there are no shortwave broadcasters left to hear?  Think that military and other utility communications have dried up on HF?  Larry points you to the right spots on the band that prove otherwise.

As one of the only remaining publications available with international broadcast frequencies and schedules, the Global Radio Guide (GRG) puts everything a radio enthusiast needs to navigate the action right in their hands.

With the help of the GRG, you can take advantage of enhanced propagation to tune in shortwave broadcast stations from worldwide hotspots such as China, Cuba, India, Iran, North/South Korea, and many other counties. If you have a shortwave radio receiver, SDR or Internet connection, pair it with this unique radio resource to know when and where to listen to the world.

This newest edition of the GRG carries on the tradition of those before it with an in-depth, 24-hour station/frequency guide with schedules for selected AM band, longwave, and shortwave radio stations. This unique resource is the only radio publication that lists by-hour schedules that include all language services, frequencies, and world target areas for over 500 stations worldwide.

The GRG includes listings of DX radio programs and Internet website addresses for many of the stations in the book. There are also entries for time and frequency stations as well as some of the more “intriguing” transmissions one can find on the shortwave radio bands.

In addition to the global hotspots, the GRG brings the world to you from other places on the radio dial.

The action isn’t limited to just HF though.  From the top down, solar cycle 25 has radio signals bouncing all over the ionosphere.

In fact, you can even tune in to the ionosphere itself as solar energy interacts and bends our magnetosphere through the wonders of very low frequency “natural radio.”  Learn about sferics, tweeks, whistlers and the magical dawn’s chorus and how you can listen in with your own ears!

A little further up the band, mediumwave frequencies are alive with signals from the tropics.  With each dip of the auroral field closer to the equator, mediumwave signals from the tropic region become enhanced.  Loyd Van Horn (W4LVH) discusses what to look for and busts propagation myths for the mediumwave and FM broadcast bands.

With enhanced propagation on HF, there is an increased diversity of signals to hear from various countries.  To help, Fred Waterer brings a primer on the when and where of languages one can tune into on the shortwave bands.

Whether you monitor shortwave radio broadcasts, mediumwave, amateur radio operators, or aeronautical, maritime, government, or military communications in the HF radio spectrum, this book has the information you need to help you to hear it all. Teak Publishing’s Global Radio Guide “brings the world to you.”

You can find this edition of the Global Radio Guide, along with all our titles currently available for purchase, on the Teak Publishing Web site at www.teakpublishing.com.

The 20th edition of the Global Radio Guide e-Book (electronic book only, no print edition available) is available worldwide from Amazon and their various international websites at

https://amzn.to/41ndGaT

The price for this latest edition is US$8.99. Since this book is being released internationally, Amazon customers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France Spain, Italy, Japan, India, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Australia can order this e-Book from Amazon websites directly servicing these countries. Customers in all other countries can use the regular Amazon.com website to purchase this e-Book.

You can read any Kindle e-Book with Amazon’s ‘free’ reading apps on literally any electronic media platform. You do not have to own a Kindle reader from Amazon to read this e-book. There are Kindle apps available for iOS, Android, Mac and PC platforms. You can find additional details on these apps by checking out this link to the Amazon website at: https://amzn.to/42lvxR9

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