Category Archives: Shortwave Radio

Requiem For Radio: Amanda Dawn Christie’s performance piece honoring RCI Sackville

(Source: Amanda Dawn Christie via Twitter)

(Source: CBC News)

Moncton artist bringing back sounds of former Sackville Radio-Canada towers

A Moncton artist has brought back to life the sounds of the 13 CBC Radio-Canada International shortwave towers that once stood in Sackville, N.B. on the Tantramar Marsh.

“It’s kind of like you’re conjuring ghosts of radio towers,” explained the artist Amanda Dawn Christie on Shift N.B.

Requiem For Radio: Full Quiet Flutter

The experimental sound art project Requiem For Radio: Full Quiet Flutter involves a scale model of the original towers, but a large model — about 16-metres wide, six-metres deep and five-metres tall.

Christie said the towers have red lights resembling the originals. They are made from pipes with four copper pads on each tower.

She added that when someone touches one of the copper pads, a wireless signal is sent to a computer, which then sends a sound file back to that tower of the actual, recorded sound the original tower made when it was operational. The sound is transmitted through a speaker on the model tower.

[…]But the model towers are more than something to be gazed upon and admired. They are musical instruments that Christie and two other musicians will be playing at one-hour performances on May 26 and 27 at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre in Moncton. The performances will also be broadcast on radio stations in Moncton, Montreal and New York.[…]

Continue reading at CBC News…

Video: Icom IC-R8600 sync detector in action

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Zantow (N9EWO), who shares the following:

For your listening pleasure. Here is the best video yet showing the Icom IC-R8600’s Sync Detector in use.

Sounds like Icom “finally” got the Sync Detector performance right with the R8600. Appears to greatly reduce fading distortion, where as with the expensive IC-R9500 it does not help much with fading distortion (if at all).

Click here to view on YouTube.

Good news indeed !!

I agree, Dave. This is most promising indeed!

I look forward to checking out the IC-R8600 at the Dayton Hamvention this year.

2017 Winter SWL Fest: Selected forum recordings

The DoubleTree hotel where the Winter SWL Fest is held. (Note the mag loop antenna on the top floor!)

This year, at the Winter SWL Fest, representatives from the Wave Farm recorded a number of Fest forums and events. Many thanks to David Goren who recently shared a link to these recordings on the Wave Farm’s website. For convenience, I’ve pasted a list of the recordings below which link directly to the Wavefarm archive:

“Turn Your Radio On” performed live at the 2017 Shortwave Shindig: Mar 4, 2017
Performed by Saul Brody

Pirate Radio in Continental Europe – A Personal View: Mar 4, 2017
Presented by Andy Walker ?+ Chris Ise

Shortwave Shindig Part I: Mar 4, 2017
Hosted by David Goren

Pirate Radio Year in Review?: Mar 3, 2017
Presented by ?George Zeller

Farewell to the BBG: What’s Ahead for U.S. International Media and the VOA?? : Mar 3, 2017
Presented by Dan Robinson?

Radio 101 Part II: Mar 2, 2017
Presented by Charles Hargove.

Radio 101 — The Past, Present and Future of Radio for Newbies and Significant Others of Radio Geeks: Mar 2, 2017
Presented by Charles Hargrove

Radio on the Road: Mar 2, 2017
Presented by Janice Laws + Steve Karlock

SDR on the Cheap: Mar 2, 2017
Presented by Dan Srebnick

SWL Winter Fest memories: Mar 2, 2017

Video: Tour of RNW operations van and interview with Niels Zack

ShortwaveService has uploaded the following video (to YouTube) which features the RNW Operations Van used in the recent 70th anniversary broadcast.

The video includes a tour of the van, the setup used in the 70th anniversary broadcast and an extended interview with Niels Zack, who restored the operations van:

Click here to view on YouTube.

I listened to at least an hour of the Saturday broadcast via the U Twente WebSDR. Sadly, I just discovered the audio dropped about 2 minutes into my recording.

Post readers: Anyone else listen to, record or simply log this anniversary broadcast? Please comment!

Any leads on this Sony plug?

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Paul Beckett, who writes with the following question for our community:

Hi Thomas

I am hoping you may be able to help identify the fly lead plug which fits on the jack plug of the Sony mains adapter lead for the 2001D. It terminates in a four pin female socket but i cannot find any description of it on the internet.

Appreciate any info if you recognise it. It is definitely part of the 2001D “kit” as the plug is clearly marked “Sony” and was among my radio “bits”.

Regards

Paul

Post readers: can anyone help Paul identify this particular 2001D plug so that he can search for a replacement on the Internet? If so, please comment!

WRMI shifts from 6855 kHz to 9455 kHz

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marty Meyers, who shares the following notice from WRMI (via Facebook):

6855 kHz off air

Due to interference with a U.S. Army frequency, WRMIhas been asked to vacate 6855 kHz. We are now off of this frequency. However, a replacement frequency of 9455 kHz has been assigned, and we expect to be on the air on 9455 kHz sometime next week. This frequency will be directed primarily to the Southwestern United States and Mexico, although it will probably be audible in other areas as well, depending on propagation conditions.

Thanks for the tip, Marty!