Category Archives: Radios

CCrane’s latest shortwave radio: The CC Skywave, to ship in January

David Korchin’s photography captures ETOW radios in the hands of kids

Click here to view David Korchin’s photography

A truly rewarding experience I am privileged to enjoy as the director of Ears To Our World is to work directly with kids and teachers in the countries where we extend our mission.

This year, photographer/SWLer/radio amateur–and good friend–David Korchin (KC2WNW) accompanied me on an ETOW distribution trip to inner Belize City. Besides grabbing a few moments to enjoy a little SWLing, we worked with ETOW partner organization, The Belize Council for the Visually Impaired, to place radios with some of the children attending their annual summer camp. This was the third year we’ve worked with the BCVI, and it’s been a very rewarding journey.

Can you imagine what impact a self-powered shortwave radio might have on a child who is visually-impaired, but whose family can’t readily afford batteries? If you can fill in the answer, you’ll know why I do this.

Today, David posted his photos from the trip, documenting these truly inspirational children. The photos are nothing short of amazing. Click here to view the photos on his website: davidkorchin.com

You might recognize the radios we’re distributing; they were generously donated by Eton Corporation and are shortwave versions of their clever little wind-up workhorse, the Rover. Eton, incidentally, is celebrating their 27th anniversary today.

And, David–many, many thanks!

AM sync lessens noise in this The Voice of Greece broadcast

4 Replies

Sometimes, the Voice of Greece plays very little Greek music; October 10th was one of those occasions. Nonetheless, I recorded that evening’s broadcast.

Using AM sync for sideband noise

In the first hour of the 10/10 VOG broadcast, you’ll hear a pulsating noise from an unknown origin (possibly a jammer?). The noise was centered about 20 kHz above VOG.

Fortunately, most of the noise was in the upper side band of the VOG signal, so I was able to mitigate it by using an AM sync lock on the lower side band. Without AM sync, this VOG broadcast––and its music mix––was almost inaudible.

If you have a synchronous detector on your receiver and tune in a station with interference, always try turning on sync lock and locking it on either the upper or lower sideband. If most of the noise resides in one of the sidebands, the lock can help tremendously. I often use this method while listening to AM pirate radio stations in noisy conditions.

A confession…

I have no idea what she’s talking about–it could be something absolutely mundane–but I love this radio host’s voice as she speaks and Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb begins. (Start listening around 26:00)

Click here to download more than two hours of the Voice of Greece, recorded on October 10, 2013, starting around 03:15 UTC on 9,420 kHz, or simply listen via the embedded player below. Most of the noise disappears around 00:21:

Purple Power: Another solution for sticky radios

9 Replies

Many thanks to Mike Nikolich (N9OVQ), who writes with another solution for sticky radios:

After the display on my Eton E-1 receiver died, the good folks at Universal Radio swapped my broken but lightly used radio for a factory reconditioned unit. Fred Osterman warned me that the plastic case was sticky and somewhat gross and he wasn’t kidding, but I was still grateful that he had a replacement radio.

After searching around the Internet (including your blog) and trying various cleaners and solutions that didn’t remove the dirt and grime from the radio (such as rubbing alcohol, Gunk and dishwasher detergent), I went to my local O’Reilly Auto Parts store and asked if they had a recommendation. Their solution was a product called Purple Power ($4.49) and a microfiber shammy mitt ($4.50). In less time than it took me to watch an episode of “Dr. Phil,” my Eton cleaned up beautifully, with no damage to the unit — it looks and feels brand new. The plastic retained that nice tacky feel without all of the stickiness that attracts gunk like dust, hair and other crud.

Purple Power is made by Aiken Chemical. You’ll want to have a clean bucket of water to remove the gunk that Purple Power removes from the plastic — it really was disgusting but I won’t hesitate to give the radio a Purple Power bath the next time it starts getting gross. And, no, I’m not affiliated with Purple Power, Eton or anyone else, including the microfiber shammy!

Click this link to find Purple Power retailers.

Frank’s maritime radio suggestions

5 Replies

In response to my previous post, The Best Shortwave Receiver for Your Boat or Yacht, Frank (VK3JFH/VP8DNM) writes:

“I have all three of the portables mentioned, the Sony SW7600GR, the Sangean 909X, and the Tecsun PL-660. The latter is currently my portable of choice. Having just read this post re radios afloat I took the time to suck down a fax from Charleville, Queensland.

Frank’s Tecsun PL-660 and Macbook Pro decoding a weather fax with Cocoa Modem 2.0 (Click to enlarge)

Results shown..

This was with the Tecsun 660 attached directly to a (near) horizontal longwire at my home QTH, inserted directly into a Macbook Pro running CocoaModem 2.0 via the headphone socket on the Tecsun.
I have had similar results with the Sony and the Sangean

To all intents the result is as good as with my other radios ( K5000 etc.).

Screenshot of the weather fax image (Click to enlarge)

However if I was starting from scratch afloat I would get an Icom IC-718. Only $689.95 from Universal Radio. You may choose to simply use it as a receiver or as a Ham TX/RX. However it can also be ‘opened up’ with a simple diode snip to transmit on all the marine bands. Not strictly legal [nor is the IC-718 designed for those bands] but there are a lot of ‘opened’ 718s out there and in an emergency you can transmit a mayday on anything…. even a couple of jam tins and string although you may need a fair old length of string….

If you wish to transmit on your IC-718 you will need a tuner. I have an LDG IT-100 on mine.

Hooking up a consumer receiver to a marine antenna….? Simply make up a pigtail with a 3.5mm jack at one end and a BNC or SO -259 at the other.

Non-marine radios afloat…. ? I had an IC-735 aboard from Cyprus (1992) until Patagonia (2007). Since 2007 I have had an IC-706Mk2G afloat…. no problem with either one.”

Many thanks for your input, Frank!

All India Radio publishes a tender for 800 DRM receivers

6 Replies

The DRM Consortium has posted an All India Radio (AIR) tender for 800 DRM AM/FM/Shortwave receivers.

AIR is seeking a DRM receiver with a feature set that would include:

DRM decoding on both shortwave and medium wave (AM broadcast) bands
1 kHz tuning increments on DRM bands (with DRM auto lock)
Stereo speakers and headphone jack
Four line mono/color digital display
Built-in stereo recording of DRM broadcasts–including a scheduling feature
Upgradable firmware
Built-in rechargeable battery pack with 6 hour playback time

There are more specs/features, of course–click here or here to download a scanned copy of the actual AIR tender.

The best shortwave receiver for your boat or yacht

18 Replies

[Updated: October, 23 2017]

SWLing Post reader, Bob, recently emailed the following question:

“My wife and I live on a boat and plan to go to the Bahamas this season. We cannot afford to install a SSB radio – costs $7K to $8K. But we need to be able to hear the weather reports and forecasts

So we are thinking of just getting a SW radio receiver.

A friend has purchased a Grundig satellite 750 but it does not seem to have the range, and he has not been successful connecting an antenna.

I think I need a SW radio I can connect to an antenna. I am thinking of a CommRadio CR-1 ?

What do you think?”

Thanks for your question, Bob. I’m going to give you a few suggestions, then open this one up to your fellow SWLing Post readers, as I suspect there may be some with experience setting up and using an HF receiver on the water.

Important: As Bryan commented, just after I posted this review, readers should note that none of the receivers/transceivers I offer here are designed for maritime use, thus they lack features like GMDSS, DSC and DGPS and have no extra protection from the corrosion of salt water on their circuit boards.

Receivers

The CommRadio CR-1

For my part, as an inlander, I think you’re on the right track with the CommRadio CR-1 or CR-1a. Not only will it cover the entire HF spectrum (for HF weather fax, RTTY and many ship-to-shore communications), but it also covers VHF (64 – 260 MHz) and UHF (437 – 512 MHz) frequencies. The CR-1 is also a very stable receiver and covers all of the modes you’ll need (upper side-band, lower side-band, AM and FM).

If you’re space conscious, fortunately the CR-1 has a very small footprint; you could mount it nearly anywhere. The CR-1 also has a built-in battery pack and can run/charge on an array of DC voltages (6-18 VDC).

You may also wish to consider the Alinco DX-R8T (see our review) or the Icom R-75. The Alinco has a detachable face plate, thus may also be easily accommodated. The Icom R-75 is a great receiver for your application, as well, but is larger than the CR-1 and does not have a detachable face plate option.

Again, I think you’re on the right track with the CommRadio CR-1.

Another option to consider…general coverage ham transceiver

The Kenwood TS-480SAT is full-featured, small, and has a detachable face plate.

Here my advice is going to sound a bit like that which I gave reader Phil recently: I would strongly urge you to get your amateur radio license.

It’s a simple process–even elementary kids do it–and the license no longer requires a knowledge of Morse code (CW), (although I am a devotee of code and would suggest pursuing a knowledge of this at a future date).

Moreover, the testing material will make for an excellent primer on radio communications, so if something goes wrong in the middle of the ocean, you’ll be better prepared to diagnose and fix it.

The Yaesu FT-857D

Additionally, in case of an emergency, a ham radio transceiver would provide yet another means of calling SOS to a community that is well-versed in handling emergency communications.

Check out this previous post for suggestions on getting your amateur radio license.

Ham radio transceivers also offer excellent stability and the modes you’ll need to decode any voice or digital mode.

Keeping in mind that you’ll need a transceiver 1) in the same price range as the CR-1, 2) that is compact or has a detachable face plate, 3) has a general coverage receiver, and 4) is rated for 100 watts of output power, I would suggest the following:

The Alinco DX-SR8T

The Alinco DX-SR8T. While not a small radio, this rig has a detachable face plate (with optional extension cord), a sensitive receiver and is a great value at $520 new. I favorably reviewed the receiver-only version of this radio two years ago. I’ve heard that the receiver in the DX-R8T is identical to the one in the DX-SR8T. I would purchase this from Universal Radio or Ham Radio Outlet.
The Elecraft KX2

The Elecraft KX3 or Elecraft KX2 are two of my favorite general coverage transceivers–I own both. They can both be powered from a modest 12 VDC source and/or internal batteries. Both are limited to QRP (12 or 15W) transmit power, but an external portable 100W amp can be added. Both are exceptional radios in terms of performance.
The Kenwood TS-480SAT. Also worth considering, this transceiver has an excellent receiver with better filters and a smaller footprint than the Alinco DX-SR8T. Though it costs nearly twice as much as the Alinco, it’s on sale until 11/30/13 for $974 from Universal Radio.
The Yaesu FT-857D. This is probably the most compact among the transceiver options listed above. The FT-857D has been on the market for many years and has proven itself a capable mobile transceiver. The detachable face plate could easily be mounted anywhere you wish. The Yaesu FT-857D can be purchased at Universal radio or Ham Radio Outlet.
The Icom IC-7000 is an excellent choice for maritime operation. It’s possible to find a used one at a good value.

Also consider buying a good-quality used general coverage transceiver from a reputable retailer like Universal Radio, Ham Radio Outlet, The Ham Station or Amateur Electronic Supply. Search for the three models listed above, but I would also consider the Icom IC-706MKII and the Icom IC-7000.

Of course, you will need a good HF antenna for any of these options to work, even the CommRadio CR-1; a radio, after all, is only as good as its antenna. The type of antenna you can use will be limited by your ability to mount it on on your boat: some are limited-space wire antennas, others are whip antennas. Make sure the antenna will resonate on the frequencies important for your maritime travels.

Fortunately, most of the retailers listed above have experience in this capacity.

Portables

If I were on a boat, I would also carry a portable shortwave radio as a backup. Some to consider are the Tecsun PL-660, Tecsun PL-880, Sony ICF-SW7600GR or the Sangean 909X. All of these have SSB mode and good sensitivity, selectivity and stability, although the Sangean ATS-909X requires an external antenna for optimal sensitivity.

There are also a few compact travel radios worth considering as well, although sensitivity generally isn’t as good as the larger, full-featured portables mentioned above. I would consider the CountyComm GP-SSB, Digitech AR-1780, or the C. Crane CC Skywave SSB as a nice spare radio to tuck away on board.

Hope this helps, Bob! Happy sailing!

SWLing Post readers: if you have experience in maritime HF operation, we welcome your comments and suggestions…

Update: Check out Frank’s maritime radio suggestions.