Category Archives: Mediumwave

Bob asks: “What’s Your Favorite Corner of the Dial?”

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

What’s Your Favorite Corner of the Dial?

As asked by Bob Colegrove

Let’s suppose you’ve been listening to radio for a while. Consciously or not, you’ve probably favored a range of AM, SW, or FM frequencies. These are areas where you go to DX or just listen to your favorite stations. One area I seem to keep returning to is the very bottom of the medium wave band, roughly 530 kHz to 600 kHz. With the convenience of today’s digital radios, I have consciously pushed the envelope somewhat lower.

The main reason for specializing in that frequency range is the challenge. In the very beginning there didn’t seem to be much at the extreme lower end of the AM broadcast band. Growing up in Indianapolis in the ‘50s, the local stations were all at the upper end of the mediumwave dial. WXLW held down 950 kHz – lower than that nothing. I would say the stator plates on the variable capacitor got very dusty, never being closed any further than that on many radios.

Another challenge was sensitivity. In analog times, the sensitivity of a tuned circuit had some falloff as the inductance/capacitance (L/C) ratio decreased. Sensitivity is highest with the variable cap open at the high end of the band. As you tune lower by increasing capacitance (inductance remaining constant), the Q and consequently sensitivity drop off – not dramatically, but somewhat.

Finally, not all old analog radios tuned to 530 kHz; some were even challenged to tune 540 kHz. By performing a little mischief with the alignment, I could sometimes venture into unknown territory.

This was all part of the challenge. So, what could I do to coax some activity out of the bottom of the band? I spent many hours poring over Bill Orr’s Better Shortwave Reception (Radio Publications, Inc., Wilton, CT, First Edition, 1957) and tweaking caps and coils trying to squeeze the last few kilohertz and microvolts out of my radios. This exercise fascinated me and became a hobby within a hobby. If I may be allowed a self-deprecating aside here, the first time I took a radio out of the cabinet, I just assumed that all these alignment screws were loose, and dutifully torqued them down. The alignment problem is not comparatively complex with today’s digital receivers. Note, I didn’t say it was unimportant.

I still tend to favor the bottom of the medium wave band. Below is a list of my catches over the past couple of years. It’s just a sample of what one might hear by casual listening over time. Highlighted stations are heard during daylight hours. This is NOT intended to impress anyone, rather it is hopefully a stimulus for your own efforts.

As another attraction of the lower mediumwave band, you will find a potpourri of stations. Besides regular North American broadcasting stations, one might possibly hear an occasional high-powered trans-Atlantic station which is not synchronized with the 10 kHz spacing. 530 kHz is interesting. It is not used in the US by commercial broadcast stations. Instead, stations from Canada and Cuba at roughly orthogonal directions from me are regularly audible at night on this frequency. Thus, the radio is tuned by simply rotating the antenna. 530 kHz is also home to several Travelers’ Information Stations (TIS) throughout the country. Question: How will this long-time service fare if travelers don’t have AM radios in their new cars? Finally, the very bottom of the frequency range still contains a few holdouts of non-directional beacons.

Frequencies below 530 kHz probably put a strain on the medium wave bands of old radios, but they are likely no problem on most digital radios having both LW and MW coverage. As mentioned, there are a few non-directional beacons down there. They are Morse coded using amplitude modulation. I have found placing the receiver in SSB mode makes detection much easier, as the heterodyne from the carrier can be heard well before the signal is strong enough to produce any audio. These beacons generally fade in for brief periods of time and then fade out like passing comets.

My most recent catch was experimental station WI2XLQ, 486 kHz, during its annual Fessenden Event on Christmas Day and again on New Year’s Day. See https://swling.com/blog/?s=Fessenden+ . The experience was not the armchair listening quality one might expect from FM or the Internet. Instead, it was weak and fraught with atmospheric noise. The station came in periodically, then disappeared, in short, DXing to its highest degree of satisfaction.

The antenna is the key to good reception, and there is no exception to this rule at the lower end of the AM band. Many years ago, I switched to an indoor, resonant loop antenna. The selectivity, directional properties, and noise rejection of a loop antenna in this frequency range are superb. The figure below shows my 40-year-old loop antenna, which is still used in its original form. It tunes from ~485 kHz through ~1710 kHz in two bands. The antenna can rotate 360 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically. Further, it is mechanically balanced to remain in any position without locking. For those not inclined to construction projects, the Tecsun AN-100, AN-200, and Terk Advantage will perform quite well through inductive coupling with a portable radio’s ferrite bar antenna.

As all experienced medium wave DXers know, for success you need to have patience, “set a spell,” and let the radio do its thing. Radios are living organisms, kind of like cats, very independent at times, and will let you hear only what they want you to hear. On many channels, stations will come and go over time. If you’re lucky, you might catch an ID; lacking that, you might be able to identify it by the format or network. You might try to compare the contents you hear on the radio with what you can hear online either over the station’s website or via streaming sites such as TuneIn, iHeart, or Radio Garden. There may be a delay between the Internet stream and the live signal.

When you feel you’ve exhausted the possibilities, there’s still more. Turn the antenna 90 degrees and start over. You’re only half finished with that frequency. Don’t forget a headset or earbuds.

What’s the next challenging rung on the limbo bar? Well, possibly the 633-meter ham band, 472 to 479 kHz. I’ll have to pad the old loop with a small capacitor to tune down there.

What’s your favorite corner of the dial? Why?

Post-Helene Update and the Importance of Radio After a Natural Disaster

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No matter where you live in the world, everyone should have a battery-powered or self-powered (hand-crank) portable radio in their home.

Recently, the pace of articles here on the SWLing Post has slowed down. That’s because I live in Swannanoa, North Carolina—a town that was particularly hard-hit by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Helene, which brought unprecedented rainfall and caused widespread destruction.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been chronicling my experiences on my ham radio blog, QRPer.com. I’ve also been sharing regular audio updates with supporters on Patreon.

In short, our rural mountain community was completely cut off for several days. Our bridge washed out, and a critical section of road crumbled daily.

At one point, two families had to be helicopter-evacuated for medical reasons, and less than a week after the storm, the Sheriff’s department came door-to-door recommending evacuation.

Our amazing community pulled together: we cleared our road of hundreds of downed trees and made sure everyone had food, water, and supplies. We took care of each other.

Now, things have improved dramatically. After two and a half weeks without power, we’ve been reconnected to the grid. The Kentucky Department of Transportation repaired our road, making it accessible to regular vehicles again. On Tuesday, an arborist crew finally made it up the mountain to remove fallen trees from houses.

Although things are starting to feel more normal at home, the impact on Swannanoa, Asheville, and surrounding areas has been profound. Entire neighborhoods are gone, numerous businesses have closed, and several grocery stores were severely damaged.

The Communications Void

The National Guard helped us for a full day at our home. Thank you 5th Battalion 113 Field Artillery!

It’s often said that modern communications infrastructure fails us after a disaster.

I can confirm, first hand, that this is true.

The mobile phone network went offline during the storm, leaving us without service for days. Even now, three weeks after the storm, mobile phone service remains unreliable. Calls drop every few minutes.

Mobile data services at home are still down at time of posting (October 18, 2024). Internet services like cable, fiber, and DSL are mostly still out across the county. Only those with satellite internet have a connection—I’m fortunate to be one of them. Our cell tower still only supports basic voice calls and text messaging, without data or media attachments.

Radio to the Rescue

As many of you know, I’m not just a radio listener, but also a licensed amateur radio operator, and both of these hobbies became essential post-Helene.

As highlighted in an article by WIRED, amateur radio proved to be our lifeline for communication when everything else failed.

Using the local repeater (N2GE on Mount Mitchell), I was able to pass wellness checks, coordinate helicopter evacuations, and arrange supply drops for our community. I handed out a few handy talkies to unlicensed neighbors so we could stay in touch.

My wife and daughter, who are also hams, helped tremendously. While I was out with a chainsaw, clearing driveways, they acted as net control operators on our community’s simplex frequency (147.555 MHz), passing critical messages.

For that first week especially, amateur radio truly was our community’s connection to the outside world.

AM/FM Radio: A Lifesaver

Fortunately, our local TV station remained online after the storm, but few people could access it. Many people rely on cable or internet to watch TV, and in areas like ours, the digital transition over a decade ago left many without the ability to pick up over-the-air signals.

In contrast, FM and AM radio became the most reliable sources of information. Here in Buncombe County, public information and news were broadcast on 99.9 MHz (FM) and 570 kHz (AM). Both stations stayed online throughout the disaster, and the information they provided reached a vast audience. Check out this feature from CBS Evening News:

In Henderson County, the local AM station WTZQ stepped up as well. They did incredible work serving their communities post-Helene, as highlighted in a report by Queen City News:

Information Lifeline

As a presenter in the above story pointed out, everyone should have a battery-powered (or self-powered) AM/FM/Weather radio in their home.

After a disaster, you’ll rely on that radio for essential updates like where to find clean water, how to apply for FEMA assistance, what businesses are open, and when services will be restored.

Even three weeks after the storm, much of the Asheville area is still without water, so radios remain vital for getting updates.

Here at SWLing Post HQ, I shared my extra portable radios with neighbors who needed them. I used my CC Skywave SSB 2 in the kitchen window to tune into local news on 99.9 MHz and 570 kHz. I also relied on my XHDATA D-109 and CC Radio 3—they became our constant companions for information.

Many of you here on the SWLing Post are already radio enthusiasts, so no doubt I’m preaching to the choir. But let this serve as a reminder to stock up on alkaline batteries and check your radios regularily to make sure they’re fully functional. Keep spares on hand so you can lend them to neighbors if needed—they’ll never forget your generosity.

And don’t assume your area is safe from natural disasters. Western North Carolina was considered one of the safest regions in the country for weather, yet we were hit by one of the most devastating storms in state history.

Stay prepared. Don’t become complacent.

Thank You!

Over the past few weeks, many of you have reached out with kind words and support, and I can’t thank you enough!

As of this morning, I have 310 messages in my inbox.

I’ve been too busy to reply to emails and comments—though I’ve read each one—but I truly appreciate your patience as I try to catch up. My days have been consumed by helping neighbors and getting our own life back in order. It’s been exhausting but incredibly rewarding, and we still have months of work ahead of us.

Thank you also to the contributors who have kept the SWLing Post running during my absence, and a special shout-out to my friend Vince (VE6LK), who has taken on a huge role in keeping QRPer.com updated.

Again, I’ve been posting updates on QRPer.com and sharing more informal audio updates on Patreon.

Thank you so much for your support and understanding—and, again, keep those radios ready. You never know when they’ll become your primary source of information!

Best & 73,
Thomas (K4SWL)

Giuseppe’s “Delicate” Loop Antenna

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè (IZ0GZW), who writes:

Dear Thomas,

I am Giuseppe Morlè, IZ0GZW, from Formia, located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian Sea. I hope everything is going well for you after the hurricane and that you and your loved ones are in good health.

I’m sending you this latest loop antenna of mine, which I’ve named “Delicate” due to its small size—about 20 cm in diameter—and because it fits perfectly with the Malahit receiver inside my car.

I am currently comparing it with a larger loop antenna inside the car to see how they differ. In fact, all of my antennas—whether for VHF/UHF or CB—are installed inside the passenger compartment of my car, and I can assure you, they work very well. Even my antennas for HF listening are mounted inside the vehicle.

I also have a loaded wire antenna hidden under the car, running from one wheel to the other. It works especially well on the 20-meter band, which is my favorite band for listening.

I wanted to share with you and all of the SWLing Post readers my experiences with listening and QRP experiments.

Thanks to you and all the friends at the SWLing Post.

Best regards,
Giuseppe Morlè, IZ0GZW

Clear Channel Stations: Dan’s gateway into the world of DXing

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Many thanks to Dan Greenall, one of our dedicated Shortwave Radio Audio Archive contributors, who shares the following guest post:

Clear channel BCB stations – My Introduction to the world of DXing

by Dan Greenall

Sometime in the mid 1960’s, I acquired a Japanese made AM only transistor radio similar to the one pictured.

I was entering my teenage years and living in southern Ontario, Canada in relative proximity to the U.S. border, and was immediately fascinated that I could receive American stations from places such as Buffalo and Rochester NY as well as Detroit MI with amazing clarity.

Before long, I discovered that signals from much further afield would begin to come through at dusk and throughout the night time hours. Although I was unaware at the time, many of these would be from so-called “clear channel” stations, those operating on frequencies with the highest level of protection from interference from other stations.

In addition, many of these stations ran a full 50 kw of power. Signals from the Atlantic seaboard to the Midwest could often be heard at near local strength if I turned my radio to just the right angle. At this point, I was beginning to learn about the directional properties of the built-in ferrite rod antenna. It gave me great pleasure to be able to listen to their local ads, newscasts, or a far away sporting event from the comfort of my home.

I recall listening regularly to WOWO in Fort Wayne IN on 1190 for their play by play announcements of the Fort Wayne Komets hockey games. Then there was a station identifying as WFAA in Dallas. That was back when they shared 820 kHz with WBAP whose famous cowbell you can hear in one of the audio clips below.

By the end of 1969, a friend of mine had encouraged me to try shortwave, and I “borrowed” my parents Philips kitchen radio for a few months, but that is another story. I wonder how many others got “hooked” in this manner?

A few brief recordings of clear channel stations that I made in the early 1970’s are presented here. Many, but not all, of the stations heard in the last two links are from clear channel stations. Reception for these recordings was made using a Realistic DX150A or a Hallicrafters S-52 receiver hooked up to an outdoor long wire antenna.

KFI Circa 1971:

Audio Player