Category Archives: SWLers

A recap of the 2015 Winter SWL Fest

The following article originally appeared in the April 2015 issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine.


DavidGoren-ShortwaveShindig

David Goren prepares musicians and voice talent as the Shortwave Shindig goes live on WRMI

Every year, I attend two great radio conventions: the Dayton Hamvention and the Winter SWL Fest. While the Dayton Hamvention draws a massive crowd of ham radio operators, vendors, and makers from across the planet–and it’s truly a fun and fantastic event–the smaller Winter SWL Fest is actually my fave of the two.

Any why is this? A re-cap of the 2015 Winter SWL Fest might provide some clues.

The Winter SWL Fest is organized and sponsored by the North American Shortwave Association (NASWA) and each year draws well over 100 radio enthusiasts to Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. While it is a shortwave radio festival––with its roots firmly in the shortwave medium––it’s certainly not limited to the HF bands only; in fact, here’s a list of some of the forums from 2015, and their subject breadth is remarkable:

  • Radio on the Road 3. Janice Laws shared radio recordings and videos from her various travels across the planet, showcasing the local flavor found on the FM and AM dials.
  • The Year in Pirate Radio. George Zeller once again hosted the shortwave pirate radio forum, covering the year in pirate radio, and announcing inductees into the PIrate Radio Hall of Fame.
  • Time Travel, Teleportation, and Spectrum Hoarding for the Contemporary DXer. My good friend Mark Fahey and I co-hosted this forum. In this forum we discussed our obsession with collecting and sharing spectrum recordings, highlighting the added context spectrum playback provides that traditional broadcast recordings cannot. We brought along several terabytes of spectrum recordings from my home in North Carolina and from Mark’s home near Sydney, Australia, to share with this forum’s attendees.
  • Coast to Coast: Geographically Enhanced Mediumwave Reception. Bill Whitacre shared what he has learned from mediumwave DXpeditions to Grayland, WA, and Lubec, ME, over the past 5 years. Bill focused on the advantages of carefully-selected geographic locations for the best DX opportunities.
  • Ultralight Mediumwave DXing. Gary Donnelly hosted a forum which touted the virtues of the most simple radios and receivers and the immense fun that can be had from them. Gary discussed some amazing reception records obtained with these pocket-sized “ultralight” (and ultra cheap!) receivers.
  • Crisis Radio. Michael Pool (a.k.a., “The Radio Professor”) focused on radio as it sounds locally during crises. He shared recordings and airchecks he had captured during natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and moments of civil unrest. Through these recordings, and with the advantage of some emotional distance, attendees could form their own opinions as to how the media handled each event.
  • Radio and Today’s Teenagers. Anthony Messina (age 18) focused his forum on the way teens view radio today, taking into account the medium’s ongoing evolution. Anthony also discussed how he got interested in shortwave radio and DX’ing in the age of internet and smartphones––a remarkably fascinating (and familiar) journey.
  • Kickin’ It Old School: A Return to Regenerative Receivers. In this forum, Skip Arey proposed that a radio design, at the very roots of RF Technology, is experiencing a resurgence: regenerative receivers. He discussed the classic regen circuit and how to use it to bring a new dimension to shortwave listening.
  • The View from Europe. Finn DXer Risto Vahakainu, who travels to the Winter SWL Fest with a contingent of Finnish DXers, reported on the state of the radio hobby in Europe and specifically in Finland. He focused upon the impact of SDRs and also described remote DX sites one can rent for one’s own DXpedition in northern Finland.
  • “UFOs, Gliders and Planes, Oh My!” Tom Swisher––noted member of the SWL Fest so-called “scanner scum”––covered the wide array of frequencies that can be monitored with “your trusty old scanner” after local law enforcement goes digital.
  • Monitoring Dusty War Zones and Tropical Paradises: On Being a Broadcast Anthropologist. Mark Fahey––who travelled from Australia to attend the Winter SWL Fest for the second year in a row––presented a tour of his monitoring station (i.e., his house). We saw how Mark combines several satellite, internet, and SDR feeds from across the globe to create a custom video and audio listening post with feeds. Mark, who is also an avid traveler, shared some of his highly original, out-of-the-box ways of collecting rare radio DX.
  • The Keeping of Time. In this forum, Mark Phillips discussed the importance of accurate time-keeping as our hobby moves toward the digital realm. Mark explained the difference between time sources, why they are different, and why accurate time is so important.
  • Recognizing Digital HF Signals: Eyes and Ears. TSM contributor Michael Chace-Ortiz taught that simply with one’s eyes and ears, it’s possible to identify a number of the digital modes and anomalies on our HF bands. Mike gave an interactive audio-visual tour of numerous modem signals, Over-The-Horizon RADARs, ionospheric sounders, ocean sensing systems, and various other digital oddities that can be heard today.

In short: what a dynamic––and diverse––forum line-up!

Of course, for the second year in a row, David Goren’s annual Shortwave Shindig was broadcast live from the Fest via WRMI. It was great fun receiving live reports from listeners across the globe.

I’m sure some twenty-eight years ago when the first SWL Fest was held, forum topics all centered around the shortwave radio hobby fairly exclusively. But today, how we define radio has changed, and the shortwave radio is no longer the only way to glean accessible content from across the globe. Most of the SWL Fest attendees and hosts, however, maintain and cultivate the spirit of DXing: finding innumerable paths into an ocean of diverse broadcasting. I was happy to be a part of the shortwave radio-related forums that centered on the use of software-defined radios, no doubt a revolutionary game-changer in our listening hobby, and a technology I actively explore (see my review of the TitanSDR next month).

While the 2015 line-up was diverse and drew on the expertise of some of the most noted enthusiasts in our field, this experience is actually what I’ve come to expect from the SWL Fest. So many amazing projects, including a Sundance award-winning film (!), have played a part in making the Fest what it is today.

I encourage you to keep tabs on the Winter SWL Fest and make plans to attend in 2016. Details will be posted on the Winter SWL Fest website: https://swling.com/blog. One thing is for sure: if the crazy winter weather conditions this year didn’t stop me from driving several hundred miles through snow and ice to the Fest, nothing is going to stop me next year! Hope to see you there.

Slideshow

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A parting note

Martin-Peck-2

Martin Peck with the New Westchester Symphony Orchestra (Photo credit: Stephy Kollarackal)

As you may imagine, since the SWL Fest has been ongoing for many years, strong bonds have formed among Fest attendees––indeed, the group has become like an extended family. This year, we learned during the annual Saturday night banquet that we had just lost one of our Fest family, one Martin Peck, following a battle with esophageal cancer. Marty, as we all knew him, was an incredibly kind fellow, well-loved and warmly regarded at the Fest. He was not only an avid SWL, but a talented musician, and a member of the New Westchester Symphony Orchestra. Marty could play some of the most obscure interval signals on demand with practically any wind instrument. He found a welcome home at David Goren’s Shortwave Shindig.

Marty, pal, we’re going to miss you.

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Software Defined Receivers (SDRs) for the visually impaired listener

Spectrum Display 31 Meters on the WinRadio Excalibur

At the 2015 Winter SWL Fest, I co-hosting a forum on Software-Defined Radios.  Afterwards, a radio friend–who happens to be visually impaired–approached me to ask:

“What is the best SDR for those who are blind or visually impaired?”

I’d never been asked the question before, and replied that I’d have to do a little research. In truth, I suspected that research would turn up very little that was useful:  after all, SDRs require a lot of pointing and clicking, and some of the interfaces are rather complicated. Spectrum and waterfalls displays, often at the heart of the SDR app, are visual displays.

But I kept thinking of my friend’s question. Upon my return, I set out to do a little research and possibly pose the question here on the SWLing Post.  Then assistance stepped in…in the form of medium wave DXer Tore Johnny Bråtveit.

If Mr. Bråtveit’s name sounds familiar, that would be because I recently posted a link to an Oregon Public Broadcasting interview with him. In the interview, he mentioned that he uses SDRs to chase MW DX, and that he is visually impaired.

I reached out to Mr. Bråtveit via his website and asked for any advice he could give about SDRs for those who are blind or visually impaired.  His enlightening response:

“In the interview I mentioned screen reader software and the need to find SDR software that plays well along with such screen reader software. For those visually impaired who have some eyesight, this aspect may not apply, since many of them are well helped by a screen magnifier software package.

For those without eyesight at all, or with so little left of the eyesight that they cannot make practical use of the screen, there are these screen reader software packages. They all do the same, but they solve the job in a somewhat different way and are good at different tasks.

I began using SDRs back in 2007. First I used some [RFspace] SDR-IQs for a few years, until I purchased a Winradio G31DDC in 2010. The user experience with Winradio was so good that I have stayed with those radios since then, using both G31DDC and G33DDC receivers at my remote listening places.

I think I can say that all the software packages delivered with SDRs have issues and challenges when it comes to using them along with a screen reader. The worst example of unusable native software I have seen so far, is the software package delivered with the [Microtelecom] Perseus. I had a thought purchasing one some years ago and make some scripts for my screen reader JAWS to see if I could make the Perseus possible to use effectively, but I dropped the idea at that time in favor of Winradio.

The SpectraVue software delivered with SDR-IQ was usable, but I had to script it quite extensively, especially to be able to use the timeline when playing back recordings. Also the frequency selector was a bit tricky, so I had to assign some hotkey combinations to it. Otherwise it worked fine.

The Winradio software for the G3x series works quite fine right out of the box. They have apparently thought [through] keyboard operation, and there are shortcuts for almost everything. Such shortcut keys are necessary, as navigating the program interface with a screen reader can be a bit too complicated, especially for those only using speech output from the screen reader to access the screen content.

I personally am living in a country where we have good access to refreshable Braille displays, which gives me the opportunity to turn off the speech entirely if I want and only use Braille output. This way I can navigate the program interface quite effectively to understand how things are laid out.

The only real issues I have had with Winradio software, is:

1. Changing shortcut keys:
Normally, the Tab key is used to move between elements on a screen, so it would be natural to think that pressing the Tab key will bring me to the next shortcut key definition. Not in Winradio. Tab can be defined as a shortcut key itself, so trying to navigate the shortcut keys dialog with that key gives you a number of options, all connected to the Tab key. My way around this was to navigate with the Braille display until I found the shortcut key definition I wanted to change, focus on it by pressing a cursor routing key in that position and changing the definition. Then navigate further down to the OK button and activate it.

2. The timeline:
The timeline used when playing back recordings can be hard to locate when using a screen reader, and even more difficult to work with, since when you press a cursor routing key on the Braille display to simulate a mouse click on it, the focus often moves to somewhere else on the screen. Then you have to work hard to locate back to that timeline again. My solution here was to script my screen reader with a hotspot at the timeline with a shortcut key assigned to it, so that I could move focus back there by pressing a key.

Among the third-party software packages developed for SDRs, I have found few that I can recommend. The only one I can think of, is HDSDR. Especially in the current version from November 2013, there are a number of useful shortcut keys, and the program seem to work very well. I have used it a bit with an AFEDRI SDR I have, and have also used it to play back older SDR-IQ recordings.

So, if nothing else works, Iwould say that HDSDR is the solution, since it is both easy to use and have support for a number of receivers. And it is free, as you certainly know.

[…]Please write back if I can help you any further”

Brilliant!  What a treasure trove of information for our visually-impaired SDR listeners and operators.  Thanks so much, Mr. Bråtveit, and please keep in touch with us here at the SWLing Post.  73s!

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Moshe’s listening post at the office

SWLing Post contributor, Moshe, writes:

In the attached photos my Sangean receives Elliniki Radiophonia at 9420kHz at my working post. Note the amount of computers, screens and the fact that the radio sits on top of an HP printer.

Moshe_Office

Still audio is clear and clear reception with only telescopic antenna.

Sangean

The other radio is my beloved Ben-Gal 1958 tube radio (Israeli made). It looks very much like German radios of the time.

[The Ben-Gal] is in daily use. Anyone seeing this radio loves it, especially when I turn it on!”

Ben-Gal-Front

Ben-Gal-Back

Many thanks for sharing these photos, Moshe! Your reception of Elliniki Radiophonia must be exceptional in Israel to overcome all of that office RFI.

The Ben-Gal must produce some rich audio; I bet it’s a champ on medium wave with that large internal ferrite bar! Beautiful set! Thanks again for sharing!

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Catching a USAF HF-GCS transmission in Morocco

My buddy, @K7al_L3afta (on Twitter), posted this interesting recording of the US Air Force High Frequency Global Communications System on 15,016 kHz USB at 18:01 UTC yesterday:

HF-GCS-logoI don’t believe I’ve ever heard or noticed this type of USAF HF-GCS transmission before.  Sounds almost like a numbers station.

Update: SWLing Post reader, Daniele, comments:

It’s an EAM, “Emergency Action Message”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Action_Message

http://mt-milcom.blogspot.it/p/what-is-emergency-action-message-or-eam.html

http://www.monitoringtimes.com/html/eam.html

Thanks, Daniele!

As I’ve mentioned before, @K7al_L3afta lives in an urban area of Morocco and his shortwave radio listening is plagued with radio interference (RFI). Still, he seems to snag some interesting catches on the shortwaves just like this one which he said he caught by “turning the tuning knob randomly.”

Serendipity is, indeed, the best type of SWLing!

You can follow @K7al_L3afta on Twitter by clicking here.

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Richard’s QSL from Radio Demerara (Voice of Guyana)

SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, writes:

Your recent post sent me to my archives and I’ve found my QSL from Radio Demerara, the predecessor of the Voice of Guyana. Copies of the front and back of the QSL letter I received are attached.

radio_demerara_qsl_side1 (1)

 

The QSL was for reception on 13 December 1966 at 01:00 UTC at my home in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto. This was in the same year that Guyana achieved independence from the United Kingdom.

radio_demerara_qsl_side2

In addition to a commercial for Ovaltine, I heard a program of announcements including births, birthdays, deaths, and personal messages. I used a two-tube Knight-Kit Span Master regenerative receiver, which I built a couple of years earlier when I was in Grade 10, along with a 43-foot inverted-L antenna attached to the top of my mother’s clothesline.

Along with a friend, I had established the Intercontinental DX Club, which we ran for a few years until it came time to go to university. But that’s another story.”

The Intercontinental DX Club?  What a great name! You’ll have to share that story sometime, Richard!

Many thanks for scanning this QSL from Radio Demerara. I love the fact that they noted “Temporary QSL” at the top of the letter and apologized for the delay in response. What a great piece of radio history and so relevant as we hear the Voice of Guyana return to the shortwaves.

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The Sony CF-560s: a shortwave favorite in Spain

Sony-CF-560s-2Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Jesus Leal, for contacting me and sharing photos of his Sony CF-560s shortwave receiver. I have never seen the CF-560s before. I believe the its a relatively rare receiver; indeed, I couldn’t even find one in the completed listings on eBay.

Sony-CF-560s-3
The CF-560s covers AM/FM/SW and has a built-in cassette player/recorder. Being a “boombox” style radio, I imagine the SW filter is wide and, when locked into a strong station, provides rich audio.
Sony-CF-560s

Mr. Leal, who lives in the La Mancha region of Spain, uses the Sony CF-560s for regular shortwave listening but also has a Grundig/Eton Satellit 750 in his radio arsenal.

GrundigSatellit750Any other SWLing Post readers have the Sony CF-560s? Looks like a gem of a radio.  The design certainly has strong 1980s nostalgic value.

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Gerry Wells 1929-2014

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Gerry Wells (1929-2014) Source: BBC World Service

Very sad to learn that Gerry Wells, Curator of the British Vintage Wireless & Television Museum passed away on December 22, 2014.

We featured Gerry Wells in this post from 2011; the included radio documentary is a must-listen.

Many thanks to the Southgate ARC for sharing the information below:

(Source: Southgate ARC)

The Curator of the British Vintage Wireless & Television Museum, Gerald Wells, passed away on December 22

At the end of the 1960’s Gerry gave up his job as an electrical contractor. He could see wireless sets being discarded and felt there was a need for a “Vintage Wireless Museum”.

The Museum for Vintage Wireless came into existence in 1974 and was later expanded to include Television.

1994 Channel 4 TV documentary about Gerry Wells
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/january2011/gerry_wells_video.htm

British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum, West Dulwich, London
http://www.bvwtm.org.uk/

 

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