Hi SWLing post community and bargain hunters everywhere, Fastradioburst23 here letting you know of The Shortwave Garage Sale this weekend from the Imaginary Stations crew.
On Sunday 20th November 2022 from 2300 utc on 9395 kHz we will be opening the up and over door to reveal the first part of our Garage and Psyche special. Tune in and make sure the inspection pit is securely covered over as it will be an evening of music and dancing on shortwave.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following video:
Click here to view on YouTube.
Dan, I’m not sure how you find these things, but wow! I know you had a lot of fun unboxing this NIB WJ 8711A! How amazing it is to turn on a radio like this that’s been in the original box for two decades! I hope you have a lot of fun with it on the air. Thank you for sharing!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Frank, in Germany, who shares the following guest post and review of the Deshibo RD1860BT:
Hello Thomas,
Today I would like to report on a new portable world receiver. Unfortunately, new devices have not been found on the shelves of electronics retailers for a long time, but now in the depths of the world wide web. And that’s how I came across the Deshibo RD1860BT.
Deshibo is certainly known to many from their GA450 loop antenna. But Deshibo has also produced several radios, including the RD1780L, which is probably a little better known. New to the segment is the RD1860BT, which initially seemed like an old friend to me. An Eton Elite Executive? Yes, there are external similarities, but also differences.
Many months ago I had an Eton Elite Executive for a short time. I had heard of its excellent reception properties, which I can confirm, but the design is reminiscent of older receivers from the 80s, is relatively heavy, operation is sometimes a bit cumbersome, the protective cover does not protect properly. I find the device to be portable overall difficult. We didn’t become friends, so I sold it on to a Swede, who in turn became a friend.
I still missed the Eton. RDS on VHF is not found in any Tecsun , nor are there memory banks that can be written on.
Then I discovered the RD1860BT and couldn’t resist. First of all: the Deshibo is only labeled in Chinese for important function keys. But the friendly dealer on eBay provided me with an English manual before I bought it. That was the deciding factor, because I was sure that after a little use , the Deshibo could be operated blindly.
However, some questions have arisen in the user manual. Some things didn’t seem quite right, others were completely missing from the description. That’s why I decided to write my own manual on a journey of discovery of the new Deshibo. And so that it might also help others who might be interested in radio, I wrote it in English and attach it here.
Click here to download Frank’s version of the RD1860BT manual (PDF).
The Eton’s somewhat unsorted manual was very helpful, but I also added my own drawings. For example, I added an English-labeled keyboard as a back cover, so that the keys can be assigned without a long search.
Here you can already find the first differences to the Eton: the keyboard layout is a bit more orderly. Also, the Deshibo doesn’t have a metallic speaker grille (which frankly I don’t like about the Eton). The display, not the writing, is backlit in orange on the Deshibo . Most importantly, the Deshibo is a lot lighter than the Eton ( around 500g if I researched correctly). And that means: the structure of the Deshibo must be different. Continue reading
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Luciano M. (LU7EME), who writes:
I think I have seen an Icom IC-705 transceiver in Episode 6, Season 4, of the
TV series “Westworld.”
The microphone is not quite the original, as the one shown in the episode has too many buttons and backlight…. The transceiver can be seen at the time 5:25.
I take this opportunity to congratulate you for your page. I have been a shortwave radio enthusiast since my childhood, and although I have recently become a licensed ham radio operator. I still enjoy listening to the broadcasts from all over the world.
Your posts, recommendations and news are most welcome.
73,
luciano.
Thank you so much for the kind comments, Luciano. Also, you’ve got very sharp eyes to have spotted this IC-705! Well done and thank you for sharing!
Photo by Parker Coffman on Unsplash
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst who shares the following video from Practical Engineering on YouTube:
Click here to view on YouTube.
As I’ve mentioned in past articles, I believe taking some precautions against EMPs is important. While I feel that an intentional nuclear EMP is unlikely, our local star can cause even more damage to an even larger portion of our planet if it decides to cause a solar storm like the Carrington Event.
For an in-depth look at practical ways you can protect your gear from EMPs (and dispel a few myths), check out our interview with Dave (NM0S) in this EMP primer.
(Source: BBC News via Jon Langley)
Mystery of BBC radio’s first broadcasts revealed 100 years onThe BBC is celebrating the centenary of its first official broadcast – a news bulletin that included a court report from the Old Bailey, details of London fog disruption, and billiards scores.
It was broadcast by London station 2LO, but new research shows many early BBC moments came from northern England.
Manchester station 2ZY aired the first children’s show and introduced the first regular weather forecast.
Birmingham’s 5IT station broadcast the first “official concert”
The BBC that began broadcasting at 6pm on 14 November 1922 was not the British Broadcasting Corporation of today. It was in fact the British Broadcasting Company and was made up of separate stations around the country operated by different companies.
London 2LO was run by the Marconi company. Manchester’s station was operated by Metropolitan-Vickers.
However, in these early days few records were kept of what was broadcast.
But new research on the BBC’s very early days has been carried out by Steve Arnold, a self-confessed Radio Times obsessive.
His tricky task was to try to piece together the BBC’s schedules before the Radio Times – so named as it listed the times that the new medium’s shows were being broadcast – was first published in September 1923.
He explained he found information in “gossip columns [in regional newspapers] mainly, people saying we listened to this last night and this is the only record of some of these things”.
Now, using sources from archive documents and newspapers, Steve has begun to piece together a picture of what the early BBC was doing. [Continue reading at the BBC…]
Source: Grimeton Radio Station
(Source: The Alexander association)
To commemorate the UNESCO 50th anniversary, World Heritage Grimeton Radio Station has scheduled* SAQ to be on the air at 17:00 CET (16:00 UTC) on Wednesday, November 16th, 2022, to send out a peace message to the whole world, using the 200kW Alexanderson alternator from 1924, on 17.2 kHz CW.
Transmission schedule & YouTube Live stream
16:25 CET (15:25 UTC): Live stream on YouTube begins.
16:30 CET (16:30 UTC): Startup and tuning of the Alexanderson Alternator SAQ.
17:00 CET (16:00 UTC): Transmission of a message from SAQ.
Test Transmissions
There may be some test transmissions on Tuesday Nov. 15th or on Wednesday Nov. 16th. Details about the time for the tests will be published on our website, possibly with short notice. During the tests, SAQ will be on air shorter periods of time, when we will be carrying out some tests and measurements. Your comments are welcome to [email protected].