Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Terry (N5RTC), who shares the following April 2025 schedule for Texas Radio Shortwave (click here for PDF version):
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Texas Radio Shortwave: Program Schedule for April 2025
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Category Archives: News
Jeff Takes a Look at the Tecsun PL-330
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Jeff McMahon, who notes that he’s published a new article on the Herculodge reflecting on his latest impulse radio purchase: the Tecsun PL-330.
Jeff shares how this venerable compact portable seduced him — despite an already impressive collection of Tecsun greats. Click here to read his full post.
April 2025 Schedule Updates: From the Isle of Music & Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Tilford, who shares the following update:
There are some schedule changes for April 2025 in From the Isle of Music and Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot:
From the Isle of Music, April 2025 (NOTE NEW SCHEDULE)
April’s program will feature a tribute to one of the giants of Cuban timba, Paolo FG, who recently passed away in a tragic accident. We hope to have some special guests.
Friday, April 11:
6070 kHz at 1700 UTC
3955 at 2100 UTC
Sunday, April 13:
9670 kHz at 1800 UTC using beam E (repeat of April 11 episode).
Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, April 2025 (NOTE NEW SCHEDULE)
April’s program will feature mainly music from Lesotho with some helpful recommendations from its embassy in the US and will air as follows:
Friday, April 18:
6070 kHz at 1700 UTC
3955 at 2100 UTC
Sunday, April 20:
9670 kHz at 1800 UTC using beam E (repeat of April 18 episode).
**In addition to direct radio reception, both programs honor reception reports using remote SDRs as long as the whole program is described and which SDR is specified.
Silent Signals: Recordings from Shortwave Stations Affected by Recent Shutdowns
Tuning controls on one of the 500 kW Continental Electronics transmitters at the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Site. Click to enlarge.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who shares the following recordings and writes:
Hi Thomas
As a result of recent actions by the Trump administration, a number of shortwave stations have recently gone silent. Whether or not this will change is anybody’s guess, but the situation is currently looking grim.
I am providing links to some recordings that I have recently uploaded to the Internet Archive of a few of the affected stations. These recordings were made through the use of remote SDR’s in order to provide optimal quality. I used to particularly enjoy the programs of Radyo Pilipinas and Radio Thailand world service. Have a listen here to potential radio history.
Radio Marti February 15, 2025 in Spanish:
Audio PlayerVoice of America (Africa) via Botswana transmitter January 19, 2025:
Audio PlayerRadyo Pilipinas via VOA Tinang Philippines December 10, 2024:
Audio PlayerRadio Thailand via Udon Thani December 17 and 23, 2024:
Audio Player Audio PlayerCarlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Reports and Recordings of NHK and Nikkei 1
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares illustrated radio listening report of recent NHK and Nikkei 1 broadcasts.
Carlos notes:
More radio news from Japan:
Click here to view on YouTube.
Simple Wire Antenna: Giuseppe’s Mediumwave DXing Adventures from the Tyrrhenian Sea
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè (IZ0GZW), who writes:
Dear Thomas and Friends of SWLing Post,
I am Giuseppe Morlè from Formia, Central Italy, on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
This time, I want to share a very simple antenna setup for listening to and attempting extreme DX on Medium Waves.
I first saw this antenna in several videos, and many DXers have used it during various expeditions.
For my setup, I used a 15-meter-long wire. At around 11 meters, I formed a small coil with 8 turns, then continued the wire for another 3 meters.
I began with some tests on my balcony by laying the wire flat along the ground for its entire length. I used my small Sony SRF-37V as a receiver. By placing the receiver within the coil of turns, I immediately noticed a significant difference compared to the built-in ferrite antenna.
In the early afternoon, I tuned into a Chinese language broadcast on 1377 kHz. You can watch a video of this experiment on my YouTube channel:
Encouraged by the excellent results, I decided to head to the tourist port of Caposele di Formia the next day in the early afternoon. I set up on the pier overlooking the sea. This time, I laid the wire in an eastward direction — towards the night, where the sun had already set, while it was still high for another two hours on my side.
Once again, I achieved amazing results.
I was able to hear the same Chinese station on 1377 kHz, but this time with much clearer audio than from my balcony, where electrical noise interfered. By the sea, the signal was clean and strong.
After a while, I tuned into VOA broadcasts from Thailand on 1575 and 1395 kHz, both with surprisingly good audio quality. You can see this second experiment here:
Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of wire and a small coil to create an excellent, ground-level antenna — in this case, oriented eastward.
I also tried using my loop cassette and a Tecsun PL-660 but couldn’t hear anything. Yet the little Sony SRF-37V proved itself to be a true “DX killer” on AM — truly impressive.
I even caught a segment of the VOA program “World Today,” discussing the Chinese economy and Southeast Asia.
As the sun set, the DX signals faded, making way for closer European and Asian broadcasters.
I will definitely return with a longer wire to see if this surprising setup can be improved even more.
A warm greeting to all the Friends who follow SWLing Post and to you, Dear Thomas.
73, Giuseppe IZ0GZW
More Reception Videos:
Jeff Finds that the Qodosen DX-286 Struggles with Talk Radio
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Jeff McMahan for his mini update of the Qodosen DX-286. While it excelled at music, Jeff found its DSP filtering took a serious toll on voice clarity — enough to lose its coveted spot as his “Bedroom Radio.”