Category Archives: Uncategorized

Inside the Post: A new perk for Patreon Patrons

Quite often, I’m privy to information that has yet to be refined into a public post here on the SWLing Post. In the past, I’ve simply kept the new information and/or evolving posts to myself.

But as a small perk for supporting the SWLing Post via Patreon, I’ve decided to share this informal information privately through Patreon’s website.

If you’d like to be privy to the background processes and that go into the making of the SWLing Post, you can enjoy them (or ignore them!) here, simply by supporting us through Patreon. What I’ll share is raw, random, and unedited information in the form of progress reports, tips, and even partial reviews. These logs and notes happen when they happen, depending on my time availability, and are off-the-cuff and ever-evolving.

This private “behind-the-scenes” access to the SWLing Post is available to Patreon Patrons at any pledge level.

As I’ve mentioned before, if you don’t have the means to give through Patreon, no worries, friend: we’re always here for you free of charge at the SWLing Post. If you would, however, like to support the SWLing Post through Patreon with a monthly contribution, we welcome you as a Patron.  Your support helps keep the site going, and means I can do more of what I enjoy most––sharing my love of all things radio with you.

Thank you !
Become a Patron!

For more information about supporting the Post, click here.

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The Wacky and Rare Toshiba RP-2000F Now on Ebay

Is this a receiver designed by MacGyverThe Toshiba RP-2000F was a portable radio designed for the 1970s Japanese BCL (Broadcast Listener) and is not often seen on the used market.

A fine example of this model is on the USA Ebay site right now: https://www.ebay.com/itm/TOSHIBA-RP-2000F-Shortwave-Radio-Full-88-108-FM-Dial-Great-Cosmetic-Condition/253300518829

 

The $495.00 starting price is steep, but probably inline with the radio’s rarity and condition. Do any SWLing Post readers have first-hand experience with this model? How does it perform? Let us know in the comments below!

Guy Atkins is a Sr. Graphic Designer for T-Mobile and lives near Seattle, Washington.  He’s a regular contributor to the SWLing Post.

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From the Isle of Music & Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, Dec 10-16


From the Isle of Mus
ic
,  week of December 10-16
Rebroadcast due to poor propagation during original broadcast
For the week of November 26-December 2, we will feature some interpretations of part of Schubert’s Trout Quintet lead by Cuban pianist Frank Fernandez along with an part of an intriguing album from the 1980s, Leningrado, featuring moments by several of Cuba’s Jazz elite from the time.
Four opportunities to listen on shortwave:
1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100Kw, Sunday 1500-1600 UTC on SpaceLine, 9400 KHz, from Kostinbrod, Bulgaria (1800-1900 MSK)
2. For the Americas and parts of Europe, Tuesday 0100-0200 UTC on WBCQ, 7490 KHz from Monticello, ME, USA (Monday 8-9PM EST in the US) NOTE THAT UTC CHANGES BUT EASTERN US TIME IS STILL THE SAME.
3 & 4. For Europe and sometimes beyond, Tuesday 1900-2000 UTC and Saturday 1200-1300 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 KHz from Rohrbach, Germany.


Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot,
December 10
Boricua Classics
Episode 40 takes us to Puerto Rico for some of our favorite
bands of the isla del encanto in the 60s and 70s.
Sunday, December 10
2300-2330 UTC (6:00PM -6:30PM Eastern US) on 
WBCQ The Planet 7490 KHz shortwave from the US to the Americas and parts of Europe

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From the Isle of Music & Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, Dec 3-9


From the Isle of Music, December 3-9, 2017
This week our special guest is Emilio Martini, guitarist, composer and leader of the Natural Trio. We will feature songs from this year’s Cubadisco-winning album Notas al viento. Also, some classic Timba and Cuban Fusion.
Four opportunities to listen on shortwave:
1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100Kw, Sunday 1500-1600 UTC on SpaceLine, 9400 KHz, from Kostinbrod, Bulgaria (1800-1900 MSK)
2. For the Americas and parts of Europe, Tuesday 0100-0200 UTC on WBCQ, 7490 KHz from Monticello, ME, USA (Monday 8-9PM EST in the US) NOTE THAT UTC CHANGES BUT EASTERN US TIME IS STILL THE SAME.
3 & 4. For Europe and sometimes beyond, Tuesday 1900-2000 UTC and Saturday 1200-1300 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 KHz from Rohrbach, Germany.
Chickens Around the World…..
Episode 39 of Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot features songs and dances about chickens (some funky, some strange) from around the world.
Sunday, Dec 3,  2300-2330 UTC (6:00PM -6:30PM Eastern US) on
WBCQ The Planet 7490 KHz shortwave from the US to the Americas and parts of Europe

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Airspy HF+ SDR Now Available to Order

As reported recently on the SWLing Post that the Airspy HF+  would be available “really, really, really soon”, the rumor has become reality–this new SDR receiver is for sale on Airspy’s main sale site www.Itead.cc.

The direct link for purchase is: https://www.itead.cc/airspy-hf-plus.html.  The price in US dollars is a very reasonable $199.00, considering the high performance evident by the few test units “in the wild” recently.

There was an initial $50-off coupon code available first come, first served this morning for the first 100 orders. These were snapped up quickly; I was fortunate to make it into that limited group and I saved $50 each off a couple of HF+ units. My intent is to pair them up for full coverage of the medium wave band–while recording I/Q WAV files)–using two receiver “instances” within Studio 1 or SDR-Console software. (The alias-free bandwidth of the HF+ is a modest 660 kHz, a trade-off this receiver makes to deliver high performance at a low price.) I expect a EXTIO DLL file to be available soon for use in EXTIO software like Studio 1 (or the EXTIO version of SDRuno which I also use).

I plan to be comparing the HF+ to my current Elad FDM-S2 SDR; based on specs and early user reports, it should be a tight race.

UPDATE: I’ve learned that the shipping timeframe for the HF+ is the beginning of December (approx. three weeks). There is also a U.S. distributor who is kindly offering a similar $50-off deal: https://v3.airspy.us/product/airspy-hfplus/

Simon Brown, author of the popular SDR-Console software versions, closely compares the Airspy HF+ ($199 USD) against a RFspace NetSDR ($1449 USD w/o options): http://www.sdr-radio.com/Radios/Airspy/AirspyHF

Who else is planning on an Airspy HF+ purchase? What are your monitoring interests you plan to use it for? Please comment below and share your thoughts with other SWLing Post readers!

 

Guy Atkins is a Sr. Graphic Designer for T-Mobile and lives near Seattle, Washington.  He’s a regular contributor to the SWLing Post.

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From the Isle of Music & Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, Nov 12-Dec 2

From the Isle of Music episodes for November 12-December 2:
1. For the week of November 12-18, our special guests are from Manguare, one of the leading bands in Cuba’s Nueva Trova movement. We will be spending the hour with them with a lot of music.
2. For the week of November 19-25, we will rebroadcast on of our favorite episodes from 2016, which includes award-winning Jazz piano virtuoso Harold López-Nussa and other good things.
3. For the week of November 26-December 2, we will feature some interpretations of part of Schubert’s Trout Quintet lead by Cuban pianist Frank Fernandez along with an part of an intriguing album from the 1980s, Leningrado, featuring moments by several of Cuba’s Jazz elite from the time.
Four opportunities to listen on shortwave:
1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100Kw, Sunday 1500-1600 UTC on SpaceLine, 9400 KHz, from Kostinbrod, Bulgaria (1800-1900 MSK)
2. For the Americas and parts of Europe, Tuesday 0100-0200 UTC on WBCQ, 7490 KHz from Monticello, ME, USA (Monday 8-9PM EST in the US) NOTE THAT UTC CHANGED FOR B17 BUT EASTERN US TIME IS STILL THE SAME.
3 & 4. For Europe and sometimes beyond, Tuesday 1900-2000 UTC and Saturday 1200-1300 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 KHz from Rohrbach, Germany.

Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot episodes for November 12-November 26

Here is fair warning of the next 3 episodes of Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot:
Episode 36 (November 12): Funky music from Benin
Episode 37 (November 19): German versions of hits from other countries
Episode 38 (November 26) : Bluegrass meets Hard Rock
Sundays 2300-2330 UTC (6:00PM -6:30PM Eastern US) on

WBCQ The Planet 7490 KHz  from the US to the Americas and parts of Europe

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From the Isle of Music & Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, Nov 5-11

Our B-17 schedule begins this week:

From the Isle of Music, November 5-11
If you were with us last week for Ruy López-Nussa, we mentioned the superb Estado de Animo project. This week, we listen to some of that along with some subsequent solo projects by Ruy and former members Elmer Ferrer, Roberto Carcassés and Descemer Bueno.
Four opportunities to listen on shortwave:
1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100Kw, Sunday 1500-1600 UTC on SpaceLine, 9400 KHz, from Kostinbrod, Bulgaria (1800-1900 MSK)
2. For the Americas and parts of Europe, Tuesday 0100-0200 UTC on WBCQ, 7490 KHz from Monticello, ME, USA (Monday 8-9PM EDT in the US) (NOTE THAT UTC CHANGES BUT EASTERN US TIME IS STILL THE SAME)>
3 & 4. For Europe and sometimes beyond, Tuesday 1900-2000 UTC and Saturday 1200-1300 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 KHz from Rohrbach, Germany.

Episode 35 of Uncle BIll’s Melting Pot will feature a nice mix of Mexican and Mexican-American music including some tasty Norteño, Latin Rock and Latin Funk.
Sunday, November 5 at 2300-2330 UTC (NOTE THAT UTC CHANGES BUT EASTERN US TIME IS STILL THE SAME, 6:00pm-6:30pm EDT US) on WBCQ 7490 Khz, for the Americas and parts of Europe.

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