Category Archives: Shortwave Radio

4KZ update: Transmitting low power for now

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The 4KZ transmitter is located in Innisfail, Australia

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jerome van der Linden, who writes:

Have been communicating with Al Kirton (4KZ, Innisfail, Queensland Manager), and by virtue of my membership of a couple of Facebook groups for caravan (trailer to you) owners in Australia, have publicized the fact that Al is keen for reception reports from people in the target area.

Al also advised that they’re not even on 500 watts at the moment:

“We are only on 300 watts due to the fact that we only have one of the two 600 watt RF modules working.(Half of the 600 watts in the good module is lost into the combiner). It should be much better on ~ 1 Kw when the part arrives from the USA and the module is repaired.”

Thank you for the update, Jerome!

Rolf shares interior shots of the XHDATA D-808

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rolf Snijder, who writes:

Here are some pictures from my new XHData D-808.
It performs well, only a soft muting when I change the dial.

Longwave is not great–it receives, but is too weak. Mediumwave and shortwave look great for this radio.

Have a great new year!

Thank you, Rolf!

I expect to receive my XHDATA D-808 within a week or so.  I’m very curious how it will compare with the Digitech AR-1780!

Bill recommends the Hermitshell travel case for CC Skywave radios

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill (KD5XN), who writes:

I enjoyed your article on the C Crane Skywave SSB this month in the Spectrum Monitor. I too have both of the Skywaves now, and agree they are near-ideal travel radios.

I bought a protective case by “Hermit Shell” that I stumbled across on Amazon that may well be one of the best protective cases I’ve ever seen for a portable radio.

It is made specifically for the Skywave(s) and fits like a glove. I believe one could kick it across a parking lot and never worry about any damage to your radio it’s so well padded. I put the earbuds and a clip lead for attaching to a reel antenna into the pouch in the cover. Not much else is going to fit.

I know that you are also a “bag geek” so I’ve sent the Amazon link for you to peruse.

[…]The only slight negative that I could say is that the cased radio is approximately twice the thickness of the radio alone, if tight packing is an issue.

I just thought I’d pass this along as I don’t recall ever seeing anyone mentioning it. At $14.99 it’s cheap but good insurance if you travel where things “take a beating.”

73, Happy Holidays and thank you for all your reviews and articles.

ccskywavecase

Click here to view on Amazon.com (affiliate link).

Thank you for your recommendation and tip, Bill!

We actually have mentioned this on the SWLing Post before, but obviously the article is rather buried at this point. Thanks for the reminder.

Like you, I do see the negative that this case effectively increases the size of the CC Skywave for one bag travel, but it would certainly do a fine job protecting the Skywave in transit. Indeed, I believe that’s a pretty acceptable compromise. I especially like the fact that the earbuds will also fit in the case.   I might pick one of these up with some Christmas credit I have at Amazon.

Afterall, the CC Skywave SSB is a $150 radio–! I suppose since I buy $15-$20 protective cases for my $150 smartphone, my radio should at least get the same treatment! It’ll certainly outlast my smartphone!

Michael is favorably impressed with the C. Crane CC Skywave SSB

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Michael (N9YZM), who writes:

Hi Thomas,

I took the plunge and purchased the Skywave SSB. It was under the tree on Christmas morning.

It was with some trepidation that I unwrapped it and installed a pair of AA batteries. I had read all the reviews regarding whistles and whines and had decided to give it a go anyway, particularly with the knowledge of the manufacturer’s excellent reputation for product support.

I am pleased to report no whistles or whines so far!

This morning I was listening to the breakfast club net on 3973 kHz. Reception, with just the whip, was not quite as good as my Commradio CR1-a with the W6LVP loop, but still very readable, and good enough to put a smile on my face and remove any thoughts of returning the radio to the manufacturer.

Air band, Weather Channel, FM, AM all seem to work great. I bought the radio primarily to throw in the bag when travelling, and can’t wait for the next business trip! I will still take the PL-880, and do some comparisons.

If I could change anything on the Skywave SSB, It would be to soften up (or remove) the detent on the tuning knob.

Holy Grail definitely comes to mind !!

Excellent, Michael! It sounds like your Skywave SSB is one that received a proper calibration and quality control run! I think you’ll find it makes for a superb compact travel radio.

Thanks for sharing your review!

As a side note, my full (4,300 word–!) review of the Skywave SSB has been published in the January 2018 issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine.  You can purchase and download the issue for $3, or (better) purchase a one year subscription for only $24. As I’ve said before, TSM is one of the best values in our radio hobby!

Overcomer Ministry to halt radio broadcasting in 2018

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Larry W, who points out the following announcement on the Overcomer Ministry website:
Since Overcomer Ministry leader, “Brother Stair” was arrested on multiple charges including sexual assault, I think many of us assumed his on air programming would soon come to an end.

A number of private broadcasters had already pulled his programming after his arrest last Monday. Now that Overcomer has announced the halt of all radio broadcasting–and the voice of Overcomer, Brother Stair, is in jail–their satellite and online feeds will likely replay old content.

While I’ll certainly not miss Overcomer programming on shortwave, the numerous private broadcasters who had Overcomer as a primary client will feel the loss of revenue in no insignificant way. Indeed, I believe this could even lead to the closure of some private broadcasters this year.

AM Radio: Ivan compiles 2017 solar eclipse logs

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov (NO2CW), who writes:

I never got a chance to summarize my results of the AM scans I did during the 2017 total eclipse.

I used an SDR and a 40 foot end-fed antenna located in a park near the Nashville, TN airport.

On the plus side I did notice a spike of AM signals and amateur radio signals especially on 40 meters. On the negative side, my AM scans were adversely affected by the nearby powerhouse WSM transmitter on 650 kHz.

I’ve attached my results in a spreadsheet [embedded] below.

Click here to view this Google Docs spreadsheet in a new window.

Fantastic, Ivan! Thank you for taking the time to go through your recordings and make these notes. No doubt, this log took a few hours to compile. I’ve yet to go through my eclipse spectrum recordings–!

Again, thanks for sharing!

Click here to view Ivan’s previous post which includes a bandscan of the 2017 Eclipse QSO Party.