Category Archives: Mediumwave

Follow-up to The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

If the folks who participated in The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge were on trial for “having fun,” they would be found guilty and sentenced to . . . more DXing challenges!

Results

As nearly as I can tell, 13 people participated, and many had something positive to say about the experience, including they would like to do it again.

I say “as nearly as I can tell” with regard to the number of participants because some people posted the same thing multiple times . . . and there is a simple reason why. When someone posts a comment for the first time, or posts a comment for the first time with a new email address (which is one of the required fields when you post a comment), that comment is sent to moderation for approval before it is posted . . . which causes a delay. Thinking it didn’t work the first time, the commenter reposts again (and perhaps again and again) and after a while, all the posts appear, which confuses the counting process.

A variety of equipment was used: 4 GE Superadios, 2 Belka radios, a Yaesu FT950, an AirSpy SDR, a single-transistor regenerative radio, and a Sangean ATS 909-X2. Some ran barefoot (using internal antennas), some employed loops, dipoles, and even an AFA-200 from Icom.

In terms of station count, Tom Laskowski, in a neighborhood park in South Bend, Indiana, absolutely killed it with a GE Superadio, logging 69 stations with lots of colorful detail. Clearly he was enjoying himself. The total mileage of his top five stations was 1230 miles. He qualified for Chuck Rippel’s generous offer of a Superadio refurb.

13dka “informally reported” his results in miles, furlongs, and attoparsecs. From a dike at the German North Sea Coast (Riddle of the Sands?), his farthest station was 677 miles away and his top five total was 2748 miles . . . that’s 21,968.5 furlongs in case you were wondering. He used a Belka 2022 in combination with an AFA-200 active ferrite antenna (his ultra portable MW rig).

David Mappin in Filey, UK, managed to hear a station in Solt, Hungary, at a distance of 987 miles. His top five total mileage was 1965 miles. He used a Sangean ATS 909X2 with a Cross Country Wireless (CCW) Loop Antenna Amplifier with a one-meter loop made out of coax.

Everyone seemed to have a good time, even those to whom “life happened,” and could only get on for a few minutes.

So, therefore, you are all sentenced to more DX challenges in the future!

My operatives (the upstate irregulars) deep in the underground bunker at El Rancho Elliott tell me that some of the names of future challenges might include “The Midnight Ramble” and “The Grayline Sprint” . . . but these sources are unreliable.

In the meantime, thanks to all for participating, and I am glad you had fun.

PS – Some have suggested that taking station transmit power into account when figuring out scoring might be a thing to do. If you have practical ideas for doing this, post them, with examples in the comments section below. Bear in mind that any calculation of “difficulty factor” will fall on the folks recording their logs.

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Survey: What type of radio is your daily driver?

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A little over a week ago, many of us participated in the 2023 Virtual Winter SWL Fest.

I enjoyed all of the presentations and the casual conversations many of us had in the hospitality lounge and various break-out rooms. Again, kudos to the Fest organizers and all of the volunteers who moderated the various rooms and forums–you all did an amazing job!

The one thing I always pick up when hanging with other radio enthusiasts is the type or class of radio they tend to operate the most.

Case in point: I noticed one friend is currently enamored with tube/valve radios–in past years he loved compact DSP portables. Another friend switched from using primarily a portable radio to a Drake R8 series tabletop radio. I noticed that many others have been bitten the SDR bullet since last year.

Daily drivers

For many of us, the type of radio we use daily changes over time.

For example, when I first started listening to shortwave in my youth my daily driver was a portable radio. When I got my ham license I found that I enjoyed using my general coverage transceiver connected to a multi-band doublet. Later, with the advent of Software Defined Radios, I became an avid SDR enthusiast.

At present, I’m back to using general coverage transceivers (specifically, the Icom IC-705).

Of course, I always have portables and vintage radios on the air, but they’re not my primary, or “daily driver,” these days.

Survey

I’m curious: what’s your daily driver?

I’ve created a short survey. If you’d like to participate, simply enter your answer in the form below, click the submit button and it will tally the results. Alternatively, you canclick on this link to open the survey form in a new tab/window. Of course, feel free to comment on this post as well! Thank you!

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Gentle reminder: The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge is tomorrow!

Here are the rules:

Frequency range is the medium wave band: 520-1710 kHz
10 am to 2 pm your local time on Saturday, March 11, 2023 .
Any radio with any antenna, but must be the radio at your location (no using remote internet radios)
The listener must hear the signal in real time
The stations must be ID’ed by listening to the signal.
Your report should include:
- Your name (or Internet handle)
- Your receiver and antenna (stay with the same setup from beginning to end; if you use multiple setups, provide a separate report for each).
- Your location
- The time, the frequency, and the ID of each station heard
- The total mileage of your top five most distant stations.

A final point: this is not a contest; it is a challenge. The reward for every participant will be fun and fellowship.

UPDATE: Chuck Rippel did sweeten the pot, though! Check out his generous offer here.

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RNZ: “Signal to noise – is AM radio really under threat?”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Connor Walsh, who shares the following piece from Radio New Zealand:

Signal to noise – is AM radio really under threat? (RNZ)

Old-fashioned AM radio was an information lifeline for many during Cyclone Gabrielle when other sources wilted without power. Now a little-known arrangement that puts proceedings of Parliament on the air has been cited as a threat to its future. But is a switch-off really likely? And what’s being done to avoid it?

“Government websites are a waste of time. All they’ve got is a transistor radio – and they need to actually provide a means for these people who need the information to damn well get it,” Today FM’s afternoon host Mark Richardson told listeners angrily on the day Cyclone Gabrielle struck.

He was venting in response to listeners without power complaining online information was inaccessible, and pleading for the radio station to relay emergency updates over the air.

Mobile phone and data services were knocked out in many areas where electricity supplies to towers were cut – or faded away after back-up batteries drained after 4-8 hours. In some places FM radio transmission was knocked out but nationwide AM transmission was still available.

“This will sharpen the minds of people on just how important . . . legacy platforms like AM transmission are in Civil Defence emergencies,” RNZ news chief Richard Sutherland told Mediawatch soon after. [Continue reading at RNZ…]

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Radio Waves: RÚV LW Transmitter Demolished, Dave Rowntree & Longwave, Radio Angela Anniversary, and Como Audio Closes Permanently

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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, ______ for the following tips:

Third largest structure in Iceland demolished (RUV English)

Once ubiquitous, few radios now receive long wave broadcasts. Priority is now given to boosting FM signals. RÚV’s long wave transmitter in East Iceland has been demolished.

Monday saw RÚV’s East Iceland long wave transmitter switched off. The mast at Eiðar, at 218 metres the third tallest structure in the country, transmitted RÚV’s radio services across the east of the country and out into the Norwegian Sea. In a statement, RÚV say that the equipment needed to maintain the service is very expensive, and few radios now receive long wave broadcasts.

The change is being made in association with Iceland’s Civil Defence and other bodies concerned with emergencies, as long wave signals have traditionally formed part of emergency communication planning. However, an upgraded FM system will take over this function.

The long wave signal from Eiður, on 207kHz, has been replaced by a more powerful FM network in East Iceland. RÚV has increased the number of FM transmitters and renewed existing masts. Long wave transmissions will continue for a time on 189 kHz from Hellissandur at Gufuskálar in West Iceland – Iceland’s tallest structure at 412 metres – but it too will ultimately close, and then the FM system will fully take over the role of safety broadcasts. [Click here to continue reading and watch demolition video…]

Click here to watch the RUV report on the end of this longwave service (in Icelandic).

Blur’s Dave Rowntree: Long wave radio changed my life – BBC mustn’t switch it off prematurely (iNews.co.uk)

Long wave radio changed Blur drummer Dave Rowntree’s life. Now he warns the BBC not to switch off the shipping forecast signal until the whole country is digitally connected

From childhood to his chart-topping days with Blur, long wave radio has played a central role in Dave Rowntree’s life.

Now the drummer has warned that the BBC’s plans to switch-off the crackly signal could disenfranchise millions of radio listeners who still struggle to receive digital transmissions.

The BBC will end AM radio transmissions – including long wave, home of the Shipping Forecast and medium wave – currently still accessed by an estimated 6.5 million listeners each week.

BBC Radio 5 Live’s medium wave frequencies will fall silent by the end of 2027 with a date for ending long wave currently under discussion.

Rowntree, who holds an amateur radio licence and took inspiration from the shipping forecast for Blur’s hit “This Is A Low”, said the signal should not be turned off prematurely. Continue reading →

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Radio Waves: Listeners Share LRA36 Recordings, CW Clock, Tabletop Radio, and Dropping AM in Cars

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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 Adrian Korol, Richard Cuff, and Dennis Dura for the following tips:

Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel picked up around the world (Radio Nacional)

Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel broadcasts on the short wave on Wednesdays from 21 to 23 UTC and on Saturdays from 21 UTC until 03:00 on Sunday on frequency 15476 Khz (USB).

Due to improvements in the audio chain and transmission line and good propagation, we are receiving messages from listeners who had not been able to listen to it for decades and also reception reports from countries such as India, Iceland, Japan, United States, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and all the National territory.

During the summer we broadcast a program called “Uniendo Voces”, a production of the Joint Antarctic Command, the University of Quilmes and RAE, with the presentation of Juan Carlos Benavente.

We also share with you videos and posts in which listeners from around the world share their reception of LRA36. [Continue reading…]

Morse Code Clock For Training Hams (Hackaday)

It might seem antiquated, but Morse code still has a number of advantages compared to other modes of communication, especially over radio waves. It’s low bandwidth compared to voice or even text, and can be discerned against background noise even at extremely low signal strengths. Not every regulatory agency requires amateur operators to learn Morse any more, but for those that do it can be a challenge, so [Cristiano Monteiro] built this clock to help get some practice.

The project is based around his favorite microcontroller, the PIC16F1827, and uses a DS1307 to keep track of time. A single RGB LED at the top of the project enclosure flashes the codes for hours in blue and minutes in red at the beginning of every minute, and in between flashes green for each second. [Continue reading…]

The Changing Face of Tabletop Radios (Radio World)

While some still offer OTA reception, the specialty segment is dominated by online connectivity

There was a time, of course, when radios were fixtures in people’s homes. But according to Edison Research’s “Infinite Dial 2022” report, the percentage of U.S. homes with “zero” radios inside went from 4% in 2008 to 39% in 2022.

Among the radios that remain, clock and emergency radios have the best chances of justifying their presence to internet-centric consumers. But good ol’ fashioned tabletop radios? AM/FM receivers housed in eye-appealing laminated wood cases with big speakers and hefty knobs?

Mass-market companies such as Panasonic and Sony have abandoned such products. But specialty/quality brands such as C. Crane, Grace Digital, Sangean and Tivoli Audio have not.

These brands bring fresh approaches to the tabletop radio segment through innovation and the harnessing of streaming technology. Still, it’s an uphill battle in a world obsessed with all things internet.

There are several reasons conventional AM/FM tabletop radios have been disappearing from homes.

The first and most obvious is that even by the beginning of this century, radio had long ceased being a destination medium around which the family gathered to listen. In recent decades, the more common uses were morning wakeups, rush-hour commutes, sports on the go and weather emergencies, all well-served by portable radios, though there was still some degree of at-home listening. [Continue reading…]

Who Benefits By Removing AM From Cars? (Radio World)

Three perspectives on this hot potato threat

Car manufacturers claim they cannot suppress noise getting into the AM signals in their electric vehicles. This article presents the viewpoint of three people who beg to disagree.

Tom King, the chairman of Kintronic Labs Inc., is an expert on AM transmission and noise interference. His company manufactures most of the phasing cabinets for directional arrays on AM stations around the world. Continue reading →

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Chuck Rippel “Sweetens the deal” on The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge!

by Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

After yesterday’s post appeared, Chuck Rippel reached out to me and offered:

To whomever logs the most stations using a GE SR-I or SR-II, I will donate that person, a >free< SR-I or SR-II restoration. Includes, parts, alignment, cleaning, etc…. The winner’s only cost will be shipping. Should the winner already have a radio I restored, I have an alternate “reward” in mind.

That is a very generous offer, Chuck, and I am sure someone will be the delighted recipient.

In the meantime, there is a very slight modification to the procedure for the challenge: I will be posting a reminder about The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge on Friday, and then on Saturday, I will post another The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge blog. That Saturday blog will be the place to post your results in The Challenge . . . .in the Comments section.

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