Category Archives: Mediumwave

An Informal Hands-On Comparison of the Tecsun H-501x, Belka, and Sony ICF-2010/2001D

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Radio Thoughts and Reflections: An informal hands-on review of the Tecsun H501x, Belka, Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D

by Julian Stargardt

This review started as a comparative review of the Tecsun H501x and the Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D. It developed into something more.

I fell in love with radio when as a 5 or 6 year old child, my parents parked an old multi-band thermionic valve / tube radio on a small table in my bedroom. After a few evenings of staring at this wooden beast with its glass face on one side of the front with rows of numbers, I plucked up courage to plug it in, and turn it on. It lit up and after a while it hissed at me. I twiddled some knobs and eventually found some faint speech and then some quite loud music, presumably a local MW broadcaster of the sort for whom a central heating radiator will suffice as a receiver – yes if you’re near enough to the transmitter an old fashioned cast iron water-filled ribbed radiator will work as a MW receiver, the audio isn’t great but you can hear it. A phenomenon that should appeal to steam punks. After a few days, I figured out that I could plug a long wire – actually quite short to start with, only about 5 feet initially, later this grew into a long wire mostly outside. Wow! I could hear all sorts of stations in all sorts of languages. My favourite was an American station that broadcast Country and Western. I invited my younger brother to my room and explained that the Country and Western music was “cowboy music”…. So a love affair started that persists to this day.

In my 20s and early 30s, I set up a National HRO with its coils and external power supply in my study at home, with an excellent long dipole in the garden; that setup could pick up anything from anywhere…

A Sony ICF 2001D aka 2010 also entered my life. Much more portable than the HRO. By the way, for reasons best known to itself, Sony sold the same radio under two different names; in the USA it was called the Sony ICF 2010, and in the rest of the world it was called the Sony ICF 2001D – not to be confused with the 2001….

The Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D was made from 1985 to 2003. That must be a record or close to a record for a consumer portable broadband radio receiver. And it reflects on what a wonderful radio the 2010 / 2001D is. To many of us it’s a benchmark. For people who worked in remote areas in the pre-internet age it was a window on the world that brought in news, views and entertainment from around the world. At times it could be a life-saver.

So 23 years on is there a worthy equivalent or successor to the Sony 2010 / 2001D?

Yes, there is.

There are any number of radios available today that perform as well as or in some ways better than the Sony 2010 / 2001D. Some are out of production but still readily available on the 2nd hand market. A number are in production. Some are larger and heavier; some are smaller; a few are much smaller.

The Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D has a certain presence and form factor. It brought phase-locked loop and synchronous detection to the consumer market, though I’m not sure it was the first. It was part of a wave of radios of that era, some of which are notably better, but Sony captured the lion’s share of that segment of the consumer market and won the hearts and minds of many. So what, in my view, is the modern current production successor in size and capability to the Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D?

It’s the Tecsun H501 / H501x. In Tecsun usage, the “x” or “X” suffix denotes the export version, with literature and labeling in English.

So how does the Tecsun H501x compare with the Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D?

In a word or two: It’s better.

Yes, I know, that verdict might be controversial to some and will raise some eyebrows here and there.

“What about the synchronous detection?” some will ask.

The Sony has legendary synchronous detection, which is generally, though not always, better than the Tecsun’s

But the Sony’s synch is nowhere near as good as today’s Belka’s. I mention that because some reviewers appear to give the impression that the Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D’s synchronous detection is the best available. It is good. But it’s not the best.

A brief digression about the Belka and some Antenna Options

And if you want a pocket-sized high-end communications receiver and you’re willing to pay a few hundred US dollars for the privilege, the Belka is in a league of its own. It’s tiny. It’s robust (the case is thick aluminium). The battery lasts, well, not quite forever, but nearly. Alex, who designed and makes the Belka, claims conservatively that the battery lasts 24 hours of continuous reception.

The Belka has features usually only found in professional rigs. But it doesn’t have FM, and relying on a whip antenna makes listening to Medium Wave or Long Wave in a radio-frequency-interference-rich urban environment either impossible or at least a challenge. But there are solutions to that MW reception issue:

  1. a compact Medium Wave magnetic loop or
  2. a ferrite rod.

You could make your own compact magnetic loop or ferrite rod, or you can buy a ready-made one. Keep in mind that the Belka does not have an internal ferrite rod so inductive coupling will not work, you’ll need a BNC connector to connect to the Belka’s antenna socket.

There are a number of compact magnetic loops on the market; one interesting manufacturer is PK Loop, a family-owned business that specializes in magnetic loop antennae and makes indoor and outdoor, passive and active LW, MW and SW loops. These have been reviewed on SWLing; I haven’t got one yet, so I have no personal experience of them. They’re helpful and respond promptly to emails. Their website is: https://www.amradioantennas.com/

I use, and I recommend Tecsun’s AN100 or AN200 compact passive tunable MW magnetic loops. They’re basically the same loop; they just feature different bases. You’ll need a BNC adaptor

Alternatively, you could buy Tecsun’s AN48x active loop set, which comes complete with a wide assortment of adapters, including a compact ferrite rod antenna for inductive coupling of the AN48x’s active loop to the internal ferrite rod of a radio that lacks an external antenna. Tecsun’s little ferrite rod works well on its own as a MW ferrite rod and can be connected to the Belka using the AN48x’s supplied 3.5mm / BNC adapter. I recommend the Tecsun AN48x kit, not only for the AN48x active loop antenna but especially for the wide selection of connectors supplied with this kit, including RCA, BNC, 3.5mm, crocodile clips, and the ferrite rod. At Anon-Co.com, it retails for US$29.99; US stock is sold out, so if you’re in the USA and order it, you will currently possibly have to pay a surcharge for tariffs. Anon-Co.com’s listing for the AN48x is at: https://www.anon-co.com/product/tecsun-an48x-antenna

I digress. I’ll probably do so again.

Back to the Tecsun H501x.

Why do I say the H501x is a worthy successor to the Sony? Well, look at the comparative photos. They’re both pretty much the same size. The Sony’s a touch longer and a touch thicker. The Tecsun is a tad higher, but we’re talking millimetres here folks, so to the non-anal among us they’re roughly the same size. They’re both well built, almost robustly built. But the Sony weighs more, a lot more. And with batteries loaded, that weight difference is all the more noticeable.

The Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D weighs 1.8kg / 4lbs with its batteries.

The Tecsun H501x weighs about 1.1kg / 2.4lbs with both batteries fitted, though only one is needed to operate the radio.

The Tecsun beats the Sony hands down on ergonomics and on ease of operation. Though the Sony is also very simple to use. For example, entering a direct frequency input on the Sony requires 2 steps: step 1, enter the frequency; step 2, press enter- no big deal. On the Tecsun, in common with most Tecsun communication receivers, enter the frequency, and that’s it. Just one step.

Another big-ish difference: chuffing. The Sony chuffs. When rotating the tuning knob on the Sony, it chuffs; the chuff isn’t as awful as on some radios, but it’s there, and it’s noticeable. The Tecsun, like most Tecsuns, doesn’t chuff. And speaking of tuning knobs… some reviewers complain about how the Tecsun tuning knobs are set into the body of the radio and how this makes tuning difficult. Well, the Sony tuning knob is recessed slightly into the body of the radio. OK, the Sony tuning knob has a dimple in it into which one can fit a finger to twirl the tuning knob as it chuffs through frequencies. But if you’re trying to tune the Sony using the tuning knob without the dimple, then the aperture on the front panel of the Sony is noticeably smaller than on the Tecsun. And the Tecsun tuning knob is a little proud of the body so it can be grasped, and it has a synthetic rubber inset that makes twirling it without chuffing through the frequencies quite easy.

Looking at the Tecsun, the main tuning knob and the fine tuning knob are on the right side. On the right side of the radio, above the main tuning knob are an AM, ie LW, MW and SW external antenna socket and an FM antenna socket, and below the fine tuning knob is a USB charging socket, a Type-C socket on current production and a Type-B on older models. The Tecsun comes with a charging adaptor plug and cable; alternatively, one can charge using a 5 volt charger. On the left side, the 3 knobs are, from top to bottom: volume, treble, and bass knobs. On the lower left of the front face are the Headphone socket, a line-in socket, and a line-out socket. The tuning and audio knobs are accessible via apertures on the front of the radio, or they can be turned from the side either by grasping the slender portion of the knob that stands proud of the body of the radio, or by placing one’s finger on the synthetic rubber inset and twirling the knob that way.

The Tecsun comes with a high-quality cotton-lined – at least I think it’s cotton – leatherette vinyl travel bag, stereo headphones, 2 x lithium-ion 1860 batteries, a comprehensive, well-illustrated, easy-to-follow instruction manual and a double-sided wall chart, on one side is a large map of the world showing time zones, on the other side is a colour illustrated quick start guide to the radio. One of the extras the H501x is supplied with is a micro-SD Card player; there is a micro-SD card slot fitted to the radio, and a micro-SD card is provided. The H501x micro-SD does not record; it only plays. By the way, the AM antenna socket serves all AM bands, LW, MW, and SW; I think that’s a nice touch. It means one can attach an external antenna for all bands without hassle. If your antenna has an RCA or BNC connector, you will need an adaptor to a 3.5mm antenna plug

Why is this Tecsun called the H501? Why not the PLXXX? The name is a tribute by Tecsun’s founder to his Alma Mater and to his class. A nice touch in my view. Tecsun’s founder is passionate about radio. He’s been building radios since he was a boy. We owe Tecsun’s continuing production of high-quality consumer portable radios to their founder’s love and passion for radios, and in particular shortwave listening.

I understand that Tecsun’s founder has done everything he can to optimise the SI radio chips but that the issues other reviewers have mentioned about synchronous detection and USB and LSB are inherent to the SI chip architecture. Don’t get me wrong, synchronous detection works and it can be useful; USB and LSB also work. But their audio is not great because low frequency is cut off at a point that affects the overall sound quality. Like everyone else, including Tecsun’s founder, I wish something could be done about this too.

I find the H501x’s volume and separate tone controls are very useful in helping to resolve shortwave signals, especially in a radio frequency interference-rich environment.

Long wave, Medium wave and FM performance are all good. In LW and MW, the maximum bandwidth is 9KHz, or likely wider, which enables hi-fi-like audio from strong stations.

FM stereo performance is impeccable, especially with headphones.

The Tecsun H501x has multiple bandwidths. In broadband listening, these range from 2.3 to 9 in LW and MW and from 2.3 to 6 kHz in SW. In practice, it seems the bandwidths might be wider than stated. The Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D has 2 bandwidths, “Wide” and “Narrow”.

What are those two grilles on either side of the front (and the back) of the H501x? They are the stereo speaker grilles. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the H501x is a true stereo radio, and the audio is good. It’s not going to replace a high-end HiFi system, by the way, Tecsun are venturing into those too, but for a portable radio, the on-board loudspeaker audio is good, and via good quality headphones, or via the line-out socket on the H501x’s front panel to your stereo system, the audio is excellent.

The Tecsun operates on one lithium 18650 battery, this has become a widely available battery. The H501x comes with two batteries. Yes, batteries are included. And the H501x has two battery slots. The radio only needs one battery to operate and the battery slots are switchable by a switch on the base of the radio. This means that if one of these long lasting batteries is nearing its recharging time, you can switch to the fresh battery already in place.

Why did I choose the Tecsun H501x and not another receiver as the successor to the Sony 2010?

Mainly because the Tecsun H501x has taken the size, form factor, and user-friendliness of the Sony and improved on it; in terms of audio, ergonomics, user-friendliness, and weight, the Tecsun H501x is a considerable improvement on the Sony. One can see some design cues in the H501x, mainly in the overall shape, from the Sony, but where the Sony is very angular, the Tecsun is rounded. The Tecsun’s design cues come more from the classic Grundig Satelit 700, a competitor of the Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D. And that is no surprise; Tecsun manufactures, or used to, Grundig-branded radios. The Grundig Satelit 700 looked better and had superior ergonomics to the Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D, but, so I understand, the Grundig performed less well on SW reception, and if memory serves me correctly, that was also my experience when I did an A / B test of the two radios back in the early 1990s. I currently have several Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D radios and I do an almost daily comparison between a selection of my radios’ shortwave reception. The Sony is good, very good. And when you consider that it’s a 30+ year old radio, that is an excellent result. But the Tecsun H501x is better, with the solitary exception of synchronous detection discussed above. The Tecsun’s sync works; the Sony’s works considerably better. Does one need synch? Rarely. Or not really, depending on your SW listening preferences.

There are still plenty of Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D on the market, and one can pick them up in varying conditions. But expect to pay at least US$300.00 plus shipping for a Sony in adequate condition; prices vary, and there are sellers out there offering Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D for 4 figures. For US$500.00 or so plus shipping, you should be able to find a Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D in good, clean condition and good working order. Remember the Sony ICF 2010 / 2001D is at least 23 years old and more likely 30+ years old.

Common failings are the back-light, bleeding LCD, battery leaks, and circuit faults. The Sony was supplied with a power adaptor – this is not a charging unit. The Sony uses 2 x AA batteries to power the clock and computer and 3 x D Cells to power the radio. The Sony has two power switches. A main power switch on the side and an on-off switch on the top front panel to the immediate left of the LCD. First, turn on the main power switch, then turn on the front panel switch. If the LCD shows “ERROR 3” wait a moment to see if the error message goes away. If the error message persists, check that the main power switch at the lower left side of the radio is ‘On’. If both power switches are on, check that the batteries are properly installed, that all battery connections are dry, and that there’s a good battery circuit; also check the power of your batteries with a voltmeter. If you still can’t power on your Sony, do a thorough circuit test and check to find the fault.

So how much is the Tecsun H501x?

Well, its new price from Anon-Co.com in the USA and in the rest of the world is US$298.00. Remember, if you’re in the USA and you’re ordering from Anon-Co.com, make sure you order the USA delivery item so you’re not hit with tariffs.

I love Tecsun radios, and I am delighted that Tecsun continues to produce this kind of high-quality broadband radio. I wish they could overcome the synchronous detector audio and stability issues and the USB / LSB audio issues; on the other hand, I love the fact that in USB mode, Tecsun’s high-end shortwave radios tune in 10Hz steps. I remember my astonishment when the PL880x came out and tuned in 10Hz steps; not so long ago, a 10Hz tuning step was unavailable except on expensive professional gear. To find that kind of sophistication in a radio the size of a not-very-large paperback book took my breath away. 10Hz tuning steps have become a tradition for Tecsun in their medium- and high-end portable broadband receivers, even in the inexpensive pocket-sized PL330 or PL540.

Tecsun produce a wide range of radios, you can feast your eyes on their radios and accessories either at Tecsun’s own website, or at Anon-Co.com or at Tecsun Radios Australia – www.tecsunaustralia.com.au

I’ve enjoyed writing this review and I might follow up with another comparative review of vintage and modern radios.

FYI: I don’t have shares in or get free radios from any of the brands and businesses mentioned above. I’m just a keen SW Listener who delights in the fact that Tecsun continues to produce good quality shortwave radios and accessories.

Video Clips

More BBC Local Radio Mediumwave Closures in November 2026

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Majid Hussain, who shares this update from the BBC:

BBC Local Radio Medium Wave transmission changes

BBC Local Radio Medium Wave transmission services in Cumbria, Derby, Gloucestershire, Norfolk and Somerset will close by the end of November 2026. This is the final phase of a switch off process which was announced in 2011 with phased closures in 2018 and 2020.

This means if you currently listen on MW radio, you will need to switch to another way of listening. The good news is that your local BBC radio station, programmes and schedules are not changing.

You can continue listening to the same local BBC radio service through:

    • FM radio
    • DAB Digital Radio
    • BBC Sounds
    • Online via the BBC website
    • Smart speakers

This change reflects how listening habits have changed over time, with more audiences choosing FM, DAB and digital services. Whichever platform you choose, you’ll continue to receive the same local BBC radio programmes and content.

Click here to read the full article, including alternative sources for these transmissions.

DX Central Launches Season 7 of The DX Challenge and an All-New Web App; DX Central Live! Also Returns

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Loyd Van Horn (W4LVH) of DX Central, who shares the following announcements:

DX Central Live! Returns for Season 7, Introducing “The DX Challenge” and Enhanced Interactive Live Logging

MANDEVILLE, La. — September 11, 2026 — DX Central, the premier multimedia brand for the radio DXing community, officially launches Season 7 of DX Central Live! tonight. The season premiere ushers in a completely redesigned broadcast format, bringing DXers worldwide closer to the dial with new interactive tools, real-time logging sessions, and the debut of a comprehensive new weekly competition platform.

The live broadcast kicks off tonight at 18:45 Central (23:45 UTC), preceded by the community-favorite “DX Party” and “The Countdown” pre-shows beginning at 18:05 Central.

“This season is entirely about breaking down the barriers between the host and the audience,” said Loyd Van Horn, host of DX Central Live!. “We are spending significantly more time this year actually spinning the dials and DXing live right alongside the viewers. Whether you are chasing groundwave signals or waiting for the next massive tropospheric ducting event, we are doing it together in real time.”

Season 7 introduces several major upgrades and community features:

    • The Launch of “The DX Challenge”: Retiring the former Mediumwave Frequency Challenge, DX Central is introducing “The DX Challenge.” Housed on a brand-new, custom-built web application with advanced radio logging and leaderboard analytics, the platform takes the weekly competition to an entirely new level. DXers can participate by visiting dxchallenges.com.

    • Live Interactive DXing: A core focus of Season 7 will be dedicated, on-air live logging. The newly designed DX Central Live! studio allows the audience to follow along as signals are pulled from the static in real time, encouraging viewers to fire up their own receivers and log alongside the broadcast.

    • Community Shoutouts: Recognizing the incredible catches made during the off-season—including the historic 2026 summer Sporadic E openings—the platform has integrated a dedicated shoutout system. Viewers can submit their latest loggings and milestones at dxchallenges.com/shoutout to be featured directly on the live broadcast and live permanently in our new challenge app.

    • Expanded Pre-Show Entertainment: The season premiere sees the return of The DX Party hosted by Rachel and The Countdown hosted by Mark Munroe. These pre-show segments feature a curated rotation of exclusive DX-themed music from DX Radio, setting a welcoming, communal atmosphere before the main event begins.

In addition to the live stream updates, DX Central continues to offer exclusive benefits, beta-testing opportunities for new app features, and private live streams to its “Studio C” supporters via Patreon. Fans of the broadcast’s custom music can also access a 24/7 library of DX-themed tracks at the official home of DX Radio, thisisprobablydxradio.com.

DX Central Launches Season 7 of The DX Challenge Alongside an All-New Web App

Redesigned platform makes it easier than ever for DXers to submit logs, track awards, explore reception maps, and participate in weekly challenges

MANDEVILLE, La. — Friday, September 11, 2026 — DX Central has launched a rebranded Season 7 of The DX Challenge (formerly the MW Frequency Challenge), introducing an entirely new web application designed to make participating simpler, faster, and more rewarding for DXers of every experience level.

In previous seasons, participants often had to enter the same reception in multiple places: their personal logbook, services such as MWList or FMList, and a separate WPForms submission form. Results were then presented through Looker Studio dashboards. Although that system made the challenge possible, it also created extra work and could make participation feel more complicated than it needed to be.

The new DX Challenge app brings the entire experience together in one place.

“The goal for Season 7 was simple: spend less time entering the same information over and over, and more time actually enjoying the DX,” said Loyd Van Horn, founder of DX Central. “We wanted to create something that feels welcoming to a first-time participant while still providing the maps, statistics, award tracking, and detailed analysis experienced DXers love.”

After signing in, participants create their Home or portable receiving locations once. The app can then use that location to sort stations by distance, calculate reception paths, determine MW dayparts, and produce personalized geographic statistics.

DXers can submit a reception individually by selecting a station from the built-in station search and reviewing the details before saving. The app remembers frequently used settings—including band, frequency, live-versus-recorded reception, SDR use, portable operation, and propagation mode—to make consecutive logging quicker.

Participants with existing electronic logs can use the new bulk-import system. Dedicated importers support:

    • FMList

    • MWList

    • WTFDA WLogger

    • Custom CSV and Excel files

The custom importer allows DXers to map their existing columns to The DX Challenge fields. Imported records are normalized and reviewed before being accepted, helping reduce inconsistent station names, incorrect date formats, duplicate receptions, and false station matches.

Participants may also edit or delete their own reception records directly within the app. Their eligible logs can be exported for personal use without exposing the proprietary station databases used by the challenge.

Season 7 includes activity across the medium wave, FM, and NOAA Weather Radio bands. Season-long challenges remain available throughout their scheduled periods, while special weekly challenges automatically appear when active. The app applies the appropriate dates, frequencies, bands, geographic requirements, propagation modes, and other rules without requiring participants to learn a new submission process each week.

The new platform also provides:

    • Personalized award progress and endorsement tracking
    • Current, previous, and future challenge listings
    • Season and challenge-specific leaderboards
    • Reception statistics with extensive filtering
    • Choropleth maps for states, provinces, countries, counties, and grid squares
    • Interactive station-location and reception-path maps
    • Bandscan and reception-history tools
    • Multiple light, dark, and high-contrast display themes
    • Accessibility and time-display preferences
    • Support tickets and feature requests inside the app
    • Community shoutouts and recently achieved milestones
    • A complete illustrated user guide

The app was created with generative-AI coding assistance under human direction and review. DX Central has published an expanded privacy and transparency statement explaining what information the platform stores, how it is used, what participants may see, and how the app’s AI-assisted development differs from AI data processing. The deployed app does not automatically send participant profiles, locations, reception logs, imports, support tickets, or shoutouts to an AI model.

“The DX Challenge has always been about encouraging people to turn on the radio, learn their band, try something new, and share the excitement of what they hear,” Van Horn added. “The new app gives us the platform we have wanted for years, one that can grow with the community without placing more work on the DXers participating.”

The DX Challenge Season 7 app is available at:https://dxchallenges.com

Google Translate as a DX Tool

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by Don Moore

Don’s traveling DX stories can be found in his book Tales of a Vagabond DXer [SWLing Post affiliate link]. If you’ve already read his book and enjoyed it, do Don a favor and leave a review on Amazon.

I still remember an email I received from a DX friend in 1996. I had occasionally helped him translate things from Spanish, and he had just gotten a message from a South American DXer. But this time was different. My friend had already run the message through a new online translation website. He sent me both the original Spanish and the English translation. The translation got the meaning across even if the wording was awkward and unnatural. There was just one thing that puzzled my friend. Why, at the very bottom, did the sender finish with the short phrase “I graze?”

I immediately knew what had happened. The South American DXer was named Francisco but went by the nickname Paco. The Spanish verb for “to graze” is “pacer”. If you know even basic Spanish you know what happened, too. The first-person present form of pacer is paco. Without any sense of context, the translation software had seen the name as a verb and translated accordingly.

Translation software has developed astronomically in the last three decades. Not only has the quality of the translations gotten better, but so has the number of languages that can be translated on websites or in apps. Launched in 2006, Google Translate is the best-known and translates the most languages. But there are many others. Some offer far fewer languages but concentrate on offering better quality translations. Others offer languages that Google doesn’t have. You’ll need to use Bing Translate for Upper Sorbian.

I don’t remember when I first used a translation website or which ones I may have used. Google Translate has been my go-to site and app for years. It’s an easy way to look up Spanish words I don’t know. But my biggest use of Google Translate has nothing to do with translation. When writing messages in Spanish, I often use it even though I know exactly what I want to say. Instead of writing in Spanish, I compose my message in English and then give it to Google. The translation puts in all the accent marks and tildes that are awkward to type on my English-language keyboard. And the fact that 90% of the time the Google translation exactly matches what I would have written makes me feel good about my Spanish.

Before leaving on my trip to Southeast Asia last November, I downloaded Indonesian, Lao, Malay, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese to my phone. In my travels, I’ve found it very useful for understanding text on signs, product labels, and museum displays. I had translated stuff from Albanian, Portuguese, French, Croatian, and a few other languages that way, and I knew I would find plenty of use for the app in Southeast Asia. Google Translate can also understand spoken language. You may have seen videos of people who don’t speak one another’s language having conversations that way with the app translating everything. I had never done that but figured I might give it a try.

Trying It Out On DX

My DX goal for the trip was to make lots of SDR spectrum recordings along the way and then later use the spectrum analyzer tool to DX them. (I’ll be writing about the places I DXed from in an upcoming series of articles.) After five weeks of travel, I arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for a one-month stay, and I started DXing recordings I had made in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Laos. The utility bands were filled with voice broadcasts in lots of languages that I couldn’t even recognize. That’s when I got the idea – why not use Google Translate to see what these stations were saying and maybe identify some of them?

Did it work? Well… sort of.

With any block of written text in an unknown language (even in a different writing system), if you plug it into Google Translate and it’s in their system, the app will quickly identify which language is being used and translate the text. But the documentation at that time pointed out that identifying which language is being used in an audio stream took too much processing power to be practical. Instead, the user had to specify which language was being translated. In most cases, that wouldn’t be a problem. If you’re in Japan and trying to understand a waiter, he’s probably speaking Japanese. But I had no idea what language I was listening to on any of these broadcasts.

My solution was simple. Pick a strong signal and select one of the regional languages to translate from. If it didn’t start translating after about sixty seconds, then I’d switch to a different language. In a few minutes’ time, I could try all the major languages spoken in the region.

The first thing I tried doing this with was an unusual program-like broadcast I had found in the 8 MHz marine band. I set Google Translate to Thai to start, and a few moments later it started translating to English. That turned out to be the Duyên Hi broadcast from Vietnam that I reported in January. It seemed odd to me that they were broadcasting in Thai, but that was the first language I tried, and the app translated everything easily. But after publication of my article, a DXer of Vietnamese ancestry pointed out in the comments that the language being used was Vietnamese, not Thai. That made more sense and, indeed, when I set the app to Vietnamese, the app translated everything equally well. And it continued to do so when set to Thai.

Thai and Vietnamese are as different from one another as are Spanish and Russian. I even reproduced the issue with other broadcasts and other languages. If the app understood the audio, it would translate even if the selected language was different. And it wouldn’t do anything to indicate what the correct language was. So what was happening? I think I now know. In preparing this article, I found out that in December 2025, Google introduced automatic language detection for audio streams. My app hadn’t been updated yet in January, so it didn’t have the feature. However, the translation of the audio streams takes place on Google’s servers. So I think Google was correctly identifying and translating at their end, but the app wasn’t capable of correcting the displayed language name.

The Big News

The big news is that Google Translate can now automatically detect and identify over seventy different languages. And it works very well. I tested it using four different radio web streams, and within five seconds it correctly identified and began translating from Chinese, Hindi, Bulgarian, and Zulu. These were crystal-clear Internet streams, not DX signals. Still, I think we can all see the potential for this in our hobby.

The How-To

Let’s dive into how to use the app. If you don’t already have Google Translate on your phone, you can download it from the App Store. You may see some minor differences in the layout. These images are from my new Samsung S-26+, and it is slightly different from my old Samsung A53, even though the app version numbers are the same.

Upon opening, the app looks like this. The selected languages on either side are changed by just tapping on the button. I tap on Portuguese to get the selection screen.

There is now a Detect Language choice that wasn’t there before. Below that, it lists the languages I’ve downloaded and then all available languages. Downloading languages allows you to translate written text even if you are offline. Translating audio requires an active Internet connection. Here I can select the language being spoken if I know what it is. I don’t, so I select Detect Language.

Now back at the first page, I tap Live Translate at the bottom.

Now I select the mode. I select the text only option so that I can easily scroll back and read what was said. Conversation mode is only enabled when both languages are known. Now I tap on Start.

The audio I’m playing is from a YouTube video. Within a few seconds, the app identifies the language as Telugu, spoken in India, and begins translating.

Back to DXing

If you’ve been seriously DXing for a few decades, your ears are well trained at picking out station IDs from very noisy signals or signals mixed in with several interfering stations. Google Translate is not a DXer. Translation works best with clear, noise-free audio. As noise and interference creep up, success will go down. Sure, the app is designed to work if you’re trying to talk to a waiter in a crowded restaurant. But that’s a different noise environment. The AI hasn’t been trained on DX signals. However, it does very well on clear signals, such as this marine weather report from Nha Trang Radio in Vietnam.

Vietnam operates a large network of marine stations, and I made extensive use of Google Translate to log all the stations and even to find unlisted frequencies and broadcasts. The network will be the subject of my next article. I found that over time the Vietnamese translation actually got better on signals with slight and even moderate noise. The AI is supposed to learn from experience, so maybe I was training it to DX in Vietnamese!

In the video, you may have noted how the app will first create a tentative translation in gray text and then correct that with black text. Language translation is not a simple matter of exchanging one word for another in order. Grammar rules and word order vary, especially so between unrelated languages such as Vietnamese and English. Slang and idiomatic expressions can cloud meaning. And then there’s context. If I say, “John’s at the bank now,” you would assume he’s doing a financial transaction … unless you happen to know he was going fishing this afternoon. Having studied the complexities of linguistics, I find it amazing how well automated translation works.

If your first language is something other than English, you should know that English is always at the center of Google Translate, with just a few very specific exceptions. When translating Vietnamese to Arabic, Google will first translate the Vietnamese to English and then translate the English to Arabic. That extra translation step increases the chance for ambiguity to creep into the result. So if something doesn’t seem right, you may want to switch to translating to English and then translate that to your own language yourself.

Using Google Translate on radio broadcasts couldn’t be simpler. Getting good results, as we will see, is another matter. To get started, I recommend picking strong, clear signals. I get better results with an external speaker. Laptop speakers are rarely the best, and the app will pick up extra noise if the fan is running. I get good results using this pocket Bluetooth speaker with my phone a short distance away and angled up so that the bottom microphone is pointing towards the speaker.

Translation never starts immediately. On a perfectly clear audio stream, it may start in a few seconds. But even a little noise can delay that from several seconds to a minute. Then the first few sentences may not get translated. That’s a problem because many broadcasts, especially from utility stations, begin with the identification announcement, and you may miss it. So, for DXing, Google Translate is best used with recordings rather than live broadcasts. I do all my DXing from SDR spectrum recordings. Once the translation starts working, I quickly reset the playback to the beginning of the audio. Even then, it may take several tries to get the translation to catch right from the start. And if all I have is a short phrase, it likely won’t work at all. The AI seems to need at least a couple of sentences.

After I thought I was finished with this article, I decided to go back and do some more experimenting by placing my old A53 and the new S-26+ side-by-side. Unless I played perfectly clear audio, the two rarely produced identical translations. And it wasn’t just differences in wording. When playing slightly noisy signals, sometimes one phone would work but not the other. Or one would get a few sentences and then hang, but maybe the other would pick up and start translating. Together, they gave me more information than either of them did alone. So, the most productive way to use this on DX signals is to use two (or more?) phones to do the translation and to play a recording back several times to piece together the message.

For example, I had a 90-second broadcast in Tagalog on 7828.5 kHz that I knew was the Philippine Coast Guard, apparently from a place named Cape San Augustin. I pulled that back out, and after playing the recording several times on both phones, I figured out that it was the Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Cape San Augustin in the harbor in Masinloc on Luzon Island. Besides identifying the ship and location, the operator gave the call sign MRRV-4408. However, he preceded it with the English phrase “call sign,” and that was throwing off the translator, as it was expecting Tagalog. As a side note, the broadcast was a storm warning and, per the translation, he was telling the fishermen to “go hide.” A better translation would be to take shelter.

A few more observations. Using this for a while – like an hour straight – can really heat up a phone. It’s a good idea to occasionally take a break and turn off the display. It also drains the battery more quickly. And remember, the app is sending the audio stream back to Google’s servers to do the real work. If you’re not on Wi-Fi, it might be a heavy user of data, although I haven’t tested for that.

How Useful Is It?

So just how useful is this to DX hobbyists? On the shortwave broadcast bands, automatic translation makes it possible to monitor stations even if they don’t broadcast in a language that you speak. It also makes it possible to compare what a specific station is telling its different audiences. What is China Radio International’s Swahili service saying? It can be a tool for medium wave DXing if you are in a place where there are stations in multiple languages.

I was primarily interested in translation for utility DXing, and it worked well for communications from official organizations. Google Translate was indispensable for DXing the Vietnamese marine stations, and it also helped me translate and identify scheduled marine broadcasts from China, Japan, and Indonesia, and to log that Philippine Coast Guard vessel.

But what I was really interested in was the two-party and multi-party conversations in numerous languages that fill many of the utility bands. My hope was to translate those and, in the process, identify and log some really unusual stations. It didn’t work anywhere near as well as I had hoped. For one thing, the users of those stations know one another by voice or by nicknames, so there aren’t ID announcements, and rarely do they say anything to indicate exactly where they are located. But the real problem was still language.

My Spanish is very good, and I have no trouble following weather forecasts from the Colombian Coast Guard. But when they start taking messages from local fishermen, I’m lucky if I can pick out a third of what the fishermen are saying. And it’s no better in my native language. I perfectly understand weather reports from the Canadian Coast Guard in Newfoundland, but I struggle with Newfoundland fishermen.

Google Translate can deal with dialect differences – say between Colombian and Argentine Spanish or between English as spoken in Alabama versus Scotland. But in any language, people with less education or less status or far from the centers of commerce and learning are less likely to speak the language according to expected standards. Grammar rules aren’t followed, and pronunciation gets muddled. Localized slang and expressions get used. (It would be wrong, however, to say these people don’t know how to speak their own language. For more on this, read up on prescriptive versus descriptive linguistics.)

Language translation AI is trained on official sources and what is available on the Internet. Not much of that comes from the least educated and most remote speakers of any language. That is precisely the problem I had in trying to DX the two-way chatter on the utility bands. Even with a strong, clear signal, the app would struggle with the translation and only get phrases here and there. Sometimes the translation didn’t make sense because the AI seemed to be literally translating local slang expressions. But occasionally I got something useful, such as two Indonesian stations that gave their locations as Bandung and Kendari, even if I had no idea who they were.

How useful automatic translation is for DXing depends on what you want to use it for. And, of course, how clear the signal is that you want to translate. If nothing else, it’s fun to play with, and I recommend giving it a try.

Links

Helmut’s overview of the MLite-880

2 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Helmut Matt, who shares the following article, which originally appeared on his website:

The MLite-880

by Helmut Matt

SDR without a PC? Is that even possible? Even with a spectrum display? With the MLite-880, Elecevolve presents a world receiver that is as unusual as it is powerful—and truly one of a kind. A radio you can actually look at! What was previously possible mainly on a computer screen can now be enjoyed on this small, handy radio from Hong Kong in southern China—without any additional hardware—and with truly remarkable reception capabilities.

The Malachit MLite-880 was designed and developed by Russian reception experts and amateur radio operators Georgy Yatsuk (RC9CIM) and Vadim Burlakov (R6DCY). The company Elecevolve, which has long specialized in building extraordinary radio equipment, manufactured the radio and is also responsible for its particularly beautiful design.

The enclosed functional description is in English. Here is a German translation: To the manual

At first glance, the MLite-880 is simply a small, handy world receiver. What lies behind its 14.5 × 10 × 2 cm dimensions, however, is all the more surprising. In addition to a continuous AM frequency range from 130 kHz to 30 MHz and an extended FM range from 65 MHz to 108 MHz, it also covers the entire airband frequency range (108 MHz – 136 MHz) and the 2-meter band (144 MHz to 148 MHz), which is used by North American NOAA weather stations. The fact that the radio supports LSB, USB, and CW modulation modes is sure to delight amateur radio enthusiasts in particular. It also supports DSB, AM, SAM, NFM, and WFM. All of these settings can be customized individually.

The fold-out feature on the back of the device is very practical. The small tab—which allows the radio to be tilted into a DXer-friendly angle—also displays key information, including the frequency spectrum, modulation types, battery status, and more.

RDS information is recognized and displayed exceptionally quickly: both station names and information about the programs currently being broadcast appear on the display, if available.

On the top of the device is a slot for a mini-SD card. With the MLite-880, you can record music tracks or even entire programs up to a maximum of 16 GB—and listen to them again at any time later. The recording function is available for all frequency bands and all reception modes, making the device not only a radio and world receiver but also a full-fledged recorder.

The display is very clear and context-sensitive—meaning it adapts depending on the mode the radio is currently in. Particularly striking and, in my opinion, truly appealing is the visual representation of the currently received stations in a dynamic spectrum display.

The MLite with a waterfall display. On FM, it also features an RDS display.

The user can enter the desired frequency directly at any time, or adjust it using the rotary knob after selecting the desired frequency range. The step size for station search can also be customized. The rotary knob in the upper right corner has a dual function. By pressing it once, the user can switch between station search and volume control.

There’s also an equalizer that lets you adjust the sound profile. Whether it’s voice, pop, jazz, or much more—everyone can configure the radio to suit their own taste.

If you plug headphones into the designated jack—provided the signal is strong enough—you can enjoy FM stations in beautiful stereo sound. This is also possible with compatible Bluetooth headphones; the necessary functionality is built in. However, the MLite-880’s Bluetooth is not (yet) compatible with the iPhone or similar devices.

In the following, I would like to discuss the various features in detail.

FM

The FM frequency spectrum ranges from 64 MHz to 108 MHz. It can receive both the OIRT band (65.9 MHz – 74 MHz) and the standard FM band (87.5 MHz – 108 MHz)—as well as all frequencies between 74 MHz and 87.5 MHz.

Even when first turned on in the predefined standard mode, this small device sounds full and clear. Even more impressive is its excellent reception performance, which a Grundig Satellit 700 or a Sony ICF 7600GR cannot match in a direct comparison. At best, only newer devices such as the Choyong LC90, the Qodosen DX-286, or the Deepelec DP-666 offer comparable reception performance.

Both on FM and across all other frequency ranges, there are manual search and automatic scan options. On FM, both methods work very well; on shortwave, however, I would recommend manual search—especially for weaker signals—because weaker stations can easily be skipped during an automatic search. Of course, direct frequency entry is also possible anytime and anywhere.

Stations you particularly enjoy and listen to frequently can be saved in the memo section—again, regardless of the frequency band. Up to 500 stations can be saved this way.

The “WFM” (Wide FM) mode is the default for listening to FM stations. However, for very weak signals, you can switch to “NFM” (Narrow FM). Both settings can be adjusted individually in the audio menu. The bandwidth can also be freely configured, but in my tests, the “Auto” mode has proven to work exceptionally well, so I haven’t often needed to use the manual settings, even with weaker stations.

In addition to the built-in telescopic antenna, the MLite-880 also allows you to connect an external antenna. There is a built-in jack socket for this purpose. A jack-to-SMA adapter is also included in the package, so you can certainly connect a Yagi or other antenna for FM. This feature is particularly useful in the AM band, where my rotatable Wellbrook Loop roof antenna has performed very well and produced amazing results.

Longwave / Mediumwave / Shortwave

Long-wave reception is particularly susceptible to external influences. It is becoming increasingly rare to find rooms that are truly free of interference. However, when such a room is available, reception with the built-in antennas is relatively good—even compared to other world receivers. In this regard, the use of an external loop antenna has proven particularly effective. This morning, with the roof antenna connected, I was able to receive the XEPPM station from Mexico on 6185 kHz. However, the station could not be heard using the built-in telescopic antenna. On longwave here in southwestern Germany, for example, the BBC signal on 198 kHz could be heard very clearly. It’s worth noting that the longwave band on the MLite-880 starts at 130 kHz, making it easy to receive DWD weather signals as well.

The back cover

The MLite-880’s noise reduction is truly impressive. The volume of the noise-reduction function can be adjusted individually, but even with the device’s default setting, you can listen to heavily noisy AM signals with virtually no interference. The usual crackling and chirping, familiar from earlier models, is also largely a thing of the past. For example, today Channel 292 at 6070 kHz was relatively weak, with a SINPO rating of 35333. After pressing the “NR” (Noise Reduction) button, virtually none of the noise was audible anymore.

Noise Reduction on the MLite-880

It’s certainly worth mentioning the distinction between amateur bands and broadcasting bands. When a specific band is selected, the corresponding reception mode (LSB, USB, AM, etc.) is already preset. Of course, the frequencies and modes can also be changed manually [1]—as can the step size [2].

AIR-Band / NOAA

Frequencies above the FM band can also be received. However, the NOAA weather service is only available in the United States. Overall, the frequencies from 108 MHz to 165 MHz are available without interruption, so that aviation radio can also be monitored, provided you are within range or in the reception area of an airport.

Radio Recording

A microSD card with up to 16 GB of capacity can be inserted into the designated slot. You can record quite a lot on a card like that. The files are saved in WAV format and can then be played back either on the MLite-800 itself or on another device, such as a PC. This allows you to record entire programs—or even individual tracks. With tools like “Audacity,” you can easily cut, edit, and convert the recordings. Unfortunately, scheduling recordings in advance is not yet possible—at least, I haven’t found a corresponding feature so far. Hopefully, this can be implemented with a future firmware update. By the way, such updates can be found on the Elecevolve website under the “Downloads” menu item. Updating the firmware is very easy using the Windows Updater (also available there).

Firmware Update

So they’ve thought of that, too: From time to time, Elecevolve provides its customers with firmware updates that fix potential vulnerabilities and add new features. These are available for free at https://www.elecevolve.com/download/. To update the firmware, you’ll need the Windows Helper, which you can also find there. Using the search function, the “Helper” automatically finds the latest version. However, you should make sure the device has sufficient battery power before updating. You may see a warning or error message when installing the “Windows Helper” on your PC for the first time. If you downloaded it from the official website, you can ignore this message and install the program without concern.

Conclusion

A visual delight and technically sophisticated. That’s how I’d describe the MLite-880 from the Hong Kong-based company Elecevolve in a few words. Sure, there’s still room for optimization here and there. I expect there will be firmware updates, enhancements, and improvements in the future as well. Even now, I’d recommend buying this radio. It’s a lot of fun, and so far I haven’t found any other radio or world receiver where AM is this much fun. The variety of tuning and reception options is overwhelming. In my opinion, the noise reduction in particular is a huge success, and the beautiful waterfall display is a nice bonus.

Tips

The high-performance 21700 battery is included free of charge with the purchase of an MLite-880. It can now also be ordered from online retailers and specialty stores. A charging cable and an antenna adapter are also included in the package.

The most affordable way to purchase the MLite-880 right now is to order directly from the manufacturer. Elecevolve has also set up a download section on its website where all important manuals, firmware, and utilities can be downloaded for free.

SWLing Post readers: You can find Helmut’s original English review of the MLite-880 by clicking here. You can find the German version of his website by clicking here. Full disclosure: Elecevolve recently became a proud sponsor of the SWLing Post.

Radio Bonaire 1530: A Mediumwave Station Built for Emergencies

5 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who writes:

Hi Thomas

Radio Bonaire 1530 went on the air July 27, 2026.

According to its website,

“Radio Bonaire 1530 is your source of information during emergencies, specifically for residents and visitors of Bonaire. Thanks to an off-grid system and continuous broadcasting, you stay informed at all times, even during power outages or other emergencies.”

It continues:

How did the idea come about?

During the major, prolonged blackout of 2023, all sorts of things went wrong.

The FM transmitters located at Subi Rincon had no audio; the studio also had no power, so nothing was being sent to the FM transmitters.

Most FM stations had already gone off the air, and those still broadcasting had no sound. Eventually, these stations also went off the air as their backup power ran out.

For many, the internet was also inaccessible because the Wi-Fi modems in their homes had no power.

Phones could still be used for quite a while; however, making calls was virtually impossible because everyone wanted to do so at the same time. But after 36 hours, the telephone connections also failed one by one.

In response, a few amateur radio enthusiasts put their heads together. Some already had experience setting up so-called LPAM transmitters in the Netherlands—LPAM stands for Low Power AM on the medium wave band. These LPAM transmitters achieved a remarkably wide range despite their low power output (400 watts).”

You can find more information on their web page at: https://bonaire1530.nl/en/

I came across the station last night, purely by chance, while doing some random tuning on a KiwiSDR located, where else, but on Bonaire. Here is a recording that I made around 0400 hours UTC.

While most of the announcements (about the 3:20 mark) are in (presumed) Dutch, there is a brief one and a jingle in English.

Mark’s First Impressions of the PK MW Loop

4 Replies

by Mark (M7MHY)

It was while travelling in the Greek islands a few weeks ago, I first spoke to Paul Karlstrand.

I’d sent him an email, requesting a shipping quote from his home country in Australia to mine, Scotland, UK. I got a prompt reply, and he was only too happy to answer any questions I had, not only regarding shipping, but with any other queries I may have had concerning his loops. What a nice guy.

Fast forward to present day and I’ve been using his 36cm MW passive loop (catalogue code ‘TAM’) for a few days now. From paying the invoice through PayPal, the loop being built and assembled, to arriving on my doorstep around 11,000 miles later – it took just 10 days.

The free pen is a nice touch!

This is most certainly not a review of the antenna, it’s just a quick note on my observations and experience from the hours of enjoyment I’ve now had using it.

My conclusion? It’s brilliant.

I’ve caught several stations now generally not audible through the day with the Tecsun AN-200. The signal gain of the larger 36cm diameter PK loop compared with the 22cm Tecsun, improves reception quite drastically. Combined with a ‘split band?’ switch from 525 to 710kHz in the left position and from 710 to 1725kHz on the right, it does a great job of matching the radio’s tuned frequency to the loop without feeling finicky while turning the knob.

MW band is split into two sections

Of course, during grey line propagation or after dark, things just keep getting better. I have a few low power ‘test’ stations that I’ll use to check conditions and test radios and antennas with and am pleased to report, that the PK Loop 36cm performed remarkably in its job of funneling those weak signals into my receiver.

Pulling in some weak signals during the twilight hours

These products are very well made and are obviously manufactured with passion, care and attention. I think it would be very difficult to break or damage one, within the confines of normal use.

As soon as I can think of an elaborate enough story to tell my other half, explaining why another large package has arrived from Australia – I can see myself ordering the larger 50cm version from Paul, too.

Click here to check out PK’s Loop Antennas.

73

Mark (M7MHY)