Category Archives: Books

2012 WRTH: A Look Inside

I just received my eagerly-anticipated copy of the 2012 WRTH directly from the publisher and, as ever, jumped right into their articles and reviews.

Like many radio listeners, I always look forward to the newest edition of the WRTH. It takes its rightful place at arm’s length next to my main receiver. Even though I use online frequency guides, I find they generally lack the detail and foresight that WRTH delivers. And much more than just a listing of frequencies, WRTH’s radio reviews, feature articles, and HF report make for excellent reading.

On that note–this year, WRTH reviews several noteworthy shortwave receivers: the Alinco DX-R8E (the European version of the DX-R8T which we reviewed), the Reuter Elektronic RDR54C, WinRadio Excalibur Pro, Sangean ATS-909X and the Tecsun PL-660. They also take a look at the very affordable Pappradio DRM SDR receiver. The WRTH review mix always covers the receiver spectrum, from portables to professional, tabletops to SDRs.

The 2012 WRTH edition also gives a simple primer on the terminology and techniques used for evaluating receiver performance–e.g., sensitivity, selectivity, dynamic range, etc.–a worthy reference for anyone who routinely reads radio reviews.

I always enjoy their human-interest articles as well. In this edition they take us to the remote–I should say, most remote–Atlantic island, Tristan da Cunha; report on radio’s involvement (or lack of it) in the “Arab Spring;” and visit our good friends at Radio Bulgaria.

But, of course, the reason we all buy WRTH is for their in-depth comprehensive radio schedules for the upcoming year. How comprehensive are they? Check out the results from the annual comparative analysis of WRTH vs competitor guide Klingenfuss at the end of this post. Personally I can’t do without my WRTH–as I’ve often said, this indispensable go-to reference guide is the source for my shortwave listening fare.

Purchase your copy of WRTH directly from WRTH’s publishers, or from a distributor like Universal Radio (US) or Radio HF (Canada).

If you’re new to WRTH, note that they regularly update changes to their schedules throughout the year: go to their website to download these updates.

If you would like to know more about using WRTH’s schedules, please see one of our previous posts.

How does WRTH compare with other frequency listings? Sean Gilbert posted the following on WRTH’s Facebook page:

The annual comparative analysis of WRTH vs Klingenfuss has just been published. I am pleased to announce that, once again, WRTH has proved more accurate and comprehensive than the Super Frequency List as regards Shortwave broadcasting (which is the area this study concentrates on). Overall we scored 98.4%, compared to the SFL which scored 97.6%. Breaking this down out of a possible 125 points for international broadcasting, we scored 124, whereas SFL scored 120. For domestic broadcasting, WRTH scored 122/125 and SFL scored 124/125, so the SFL just has the edge. This is caused by WRTH not including the full schedule for some of the tropical band stations in SAm. Here is a comment extracted from the report:
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“I still consider it useful, if the Handbooks also can provide the DX-er with additional information about Geographical Coordi-nates for his propagation calculations and Google Earth search, and ID in the language heard. Furthermore it is necessary to know current addresses (postal, e-mail and web) and QSL-policy for his reception report writing. For listeners with Broadband internet (ATDL) is it also useful to know, if the station broadcasts live audio on the web.

Most of these useful details can be found in the WRTH, but they are still missing completely in the SWFG !

The Handbooks are very useful for the DX-er and ordinary shortwave listener and are at a very high accuracy level and can hardly be much better!”
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This fantastic result is down to the extremely hard work and dedication of all our country editors, contributors, monitors and, of course, the 3 main international sub editors who gather the majority of the information for the section. Without their enormous knowledge and skill, the section would not be what it is today. Finally we must not forget the publisher who has, amongst many other things, the unenviable job of doing the final setting and making it all fit into the available space – more difficult than it sounds, believe me!!

[…]Best wishes and regards,

Sean Gilbert – International Editor.

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New Kindle eBook – “How to Listen To The World”

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Ken Reitz (KS4ZR), features editor at Monitoring Times, has released a Kindle eBook called How To Listen To The World. It focuses on almost all aspects of listening to international broadcasts–see full table of contents in the press release below.

This would make a nice, inexpensive last-minute Christmas or birthday gift that can be delivered instantly.

At $2.99, it’s an easy decision! Click here to buy on Amazon. Note that you will either need an Amazon Kindle device or a Kindle application in order to read this book.

(Below: Full Press Release for How To Listen To The World)

“How to Listen to the World” by Ken Reitz KS4ZR is an introduction to shortwave listening, amateur radio, Free-to-Air satellite TV/radio, AM-FM DX, Internet radio and the new phenomenon of cord-cutting; getting off the addiction to cable and satellite-TV.

Much of the material is from columns and feature articles written by the author over the last two years for Monitoring Times, a national monthly magazine about all things radio, now in its thirty-first year. Each section has been updated to include the latest information available with over 100 links to the most important websites for each topic. Previously unpublished material has also been added to give a fuller understanding of each topic. Kindle e-books can be read on any e-reader, laptop, desktop, or smartphone.

About the Author:

A freelance writer since 1988, Ken Reitz has written hundreds of feature articles and columns covering radio and television for several national consumer magazines. He has interviewed many of the top industry leaders and reviewed dozens of new products in this field. He has also earlier enjoyed a five year career in commercial AM and FM broadcasting and has been an amateur radio operator for the last 24 years holding an Extra Class license under the call sign KS4ZR. He is currently the features editor at Monitoring Times for which also he writes the Communications and Beginner’s Corner columns.

“How to Listen to the World” Table of Contents

Getting Started in Shortwave Listening
Buying Your First Shortwave Radio
Chasing DRM: The Elusive Dream of Digital Audio on Shortwave
A Look at Three New Shortwave Radios
The Best of the Cheap Shortwave Portables
Listening to Shortwave Radio in Your Car
Weather Facsimile via Shortwave on Your iPad
Radio Pirates: The intriguing world of unlicensed broadcasting
Amateur Radio for Everybody: Getting Your License
Getting Started on HF Part I
Getting Started on HF Part 2: Chasing DX
Getting Started on HF Part 3: QSL those Contacts!
Shortwave and Ham Antennas for the less Financially Endowed
Loop your way to HF DX Success
The Joys of Ten Meters
Digital Operating on the Ham Bands
Tuning in to the International Space Station
Whatever Happened to TVRO?
The Newest FTA Receiver: Manhattan RS1933
AM-FM-TV DX
FM-HD: A Long and Winding Road
A Cord-Cutter’s Primer
Internet Radio Listening in a Non-FiOS Home

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5th Edition of The Worldwide Listening Guide now available

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John Figliozzi’s The Worldwide Listening Guide is now available for order at Universal Radio. This is the 5th edition of Figliozzi’s book and is unique in that it not only offers shortwave radio listings, but also provides podcast, terrestrial, satellite, Internet, digital, analog, AM, FM and other format schedules.

John Figliozzi is a life-long shortwave radio enthusiast and an excellent writer. His guide is 160 pages, wire-bound and easy to lay flat on your desktop.

Click here to view more details at Universal Radio.

Update: Be sure to check out RNW’s review of The Worldwide Listening Guide.

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SWLing Book Review–Roger Tidy’s Hitler’s Radio War

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Not only am I a long-time radio enthusiast, but I’m also something of a history buff—I have a particular affection for WWII era radios, often experiencing virtual time travel while listening to, for example, my Hallicrafter’s SX-24, or my father’s RCA console radio.

I suppose that’s why I was so intrigued to receive a review copy of Hitler’s Radio War by Roger Tidy. Although I know quite a bit of WWII history, I knew relatively little about Hitler’s radio propaganda machine, which Tidy describes in detail in this recent work.

Hitler’s Radio War (Robert Hale, publisher, 2011) is a comprehensive history of the multi-language, insidious Third Reich initiative to brainwash their perceived antagonists, both prior to and in the aftermath of each invasion.

Tidy’s complex and multi-faceted history unfolds in a very logical and deliberate manner. By placing his emphasis on the broadcasters, or radio talent, Tidy also presents a history of traitors, misguided expatriates, and political opportunists. Personalities such as the infamous Lord Haw Haw and Axis Sally (although there are actually two Sallies, as Tidy reveals) often had a passion for political change or their own self-centered achievement, and allegiances which were known to shift with the wind. Tidy describes how the Third Reich’s Gestapo became particularly adept at hunting this type of personality and turning any discovered talent into the “friendly” voice of Fascism.

Tidy’s comprehensive radio history is made particularly relevant to radio enthusiasts like myself in a number of ways. For example, his text frequently includes large sections of original broadcast transcripts, most fascinating in their revelation of the seductively crafted politicism of Hitler’s war machine. And Tidy’s mention of stations quite often includes specifics such as:

frequency information (i.e., the meter band),
a description of the interval signal or theme, and
the geographical transmission sites of broadcasts, particularly useful in understanding their efficacy.

It is clear that Tidy has spent a great deal of time conducting original research in BBC monitoring archives and listening to recordings of many of these broadcasts first-hand, which significantly enriches his work.

In short, I found Hitler’s Radio War an insightful, thought-provoking, and enjoyable account of WWII radio history. Also of particular interest to current-day radio listeners, Tidy’s book describes the birth of large government international broadcasters, many of which are still on the air today–namely, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and the like.

Many thanks to Roger Tidy for writing this fascinating history with radio listeners in mind.

Click here to purchase Hitler’s Radio War from Amazon.com.

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WRTH Summer A11 Schedules Available

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The World Radio TV Handbook (WRTH) summer (A11) schedules file is now available to download, free of charge, from the WRTH website. This is a comprehensive update and supplement to the printed 2011 WRTH.

This is what I love about WRTH–though they are a printed publication, they keep their readers informed with the latest changes in schedules via downloads from their website. To me, this is the best of both worlds.

Click here to go to WRTH’s website and download your copy. Consider giving them a small donation as well.

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SWLing Book Review–Lisa Spahr’s World War II Radio Heroes

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This year I had the pleasure of meeting author Lisa Spahr at the Winter SWLfest in Plymouth Meeting, PA. There was considerable interest in her new book, World War II Radio Heros, at the event, and after speaking with Ms. Spahr for only a few minutes, I knew I wanted to read it, too.

World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion is the story of Ms. Spahr’s grandfather, Robert Spahr, who was captured by German forces and held as a prisoner of war. After the death of her grandfather, she discovered letters written to her family during the war some sixty years ago, from total strangers, telling her great-grandmother that her son had been captured and was being held as a POW.

In the process of reading through these letters, she discovered a forgotten fraternity of shortwave radio listeners who routinely listened to German propaganda stations in order to hear and pass along news from POWs to their families.

Though one might think that these were condolences–describing that a loved one has been captured and is being held against his will–Spahr demonstrates that such letters (derived from the act of listening to propaganda radio broadcasts) were actually the opposite: these were messages, she explains, of reassurance, that a loved one is alive, and has not fallen on a battlefield. These propaganda broadcasts inadvertently translated to a form of solace, and the radio listeners knew this.

WWII Radio Heroes is a slim volume, but a wonderful bit of radio history. I liken it to having a good friend spending the afternoon showing you an album of original letters and photographs that, own their own, tell a heart-warming story. Spahr provides insight into each letter, photograph, and details the curiosity that lead her on this original journey into her family’s and America’s past.

You can purchase WWII Radio Heroes directly from the book’s dedicated website.

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2011 WRTH: A Look Inside

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Last week, I received a copy of the 2011 WRTH, and enjoyed a most welcome read over the holiday weekend.

I always look forward to the newest edition of the WRTH. I find that, even in an internet world, and especially now in the absence of the much-mourned Passport To World Band Radio, WRTH’s radio reviews, feature articles, and HF report make for excellent reading.

This year, for example, WRTH reviews several ultralight radios (the Tecsun PL-310/380, Kchibo KK-D6110 and the Kaito/Degen 1103), as well as the AOR AR5001D, the Flex 1500, the Winradio Excalibur (hint: they really like this one), the Medav LR2 and they also take a look a look at several classic pro receivers. They offer their digital update, articles on QSLing, a feature on the worthy radio charity, Ears To Our World, and much more.

But, of course, the reason we all buy WRTH is for their in-depth comprehensive radio schedules for the upcoming year. Personally I can’t do without it–it’s never more than an arm’s length away from my shortwave.

Purchase your copy of WRTH directly from WRTH’s publishers, or from a distributor like Universal Radio (US) or Radio HF (Canada).

If you’re new to WRTH, note that they regularly update changes to their schedules throughout the year: go to their website to download these updates.

If you would like to know more about using WRTH’s schedules, please see our previous post.

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