Please share your recording of the 2021 BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica here!

Halley VI: The British Antarctic Survey’s new base (Source: British Antarctic Survey)

In the comments section of this post, I’d like you to share your recording of the BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica!

In years past, I’ve created a post with all of the Midwinter recordings curated in one article. This usually takes me 12+ hours to prepare over a couple of weeks as many of the audio clips and video recordings must be formatted for the site and embedded. There is also a lot of discussions back/forth confirming details with listeners. This year, my schedule is such that if I try to piece one of these articles together I might not have it published for many, many weeks. That and I will not have reliable internet service over the next couple of weeks.

Instead, I’d like to try something new!

Please comment with your recording on this post!

Listening to the 2017 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast from the back of my vehicle in Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec, Canada.

I’ve created this dedicated post where you can comment and include links to audio and video of your 2021 Midwinter Broadcast recordings. This will allow you to post your logs and recordings at your convenience without my availability becoming the bottleneck.

Here’s the format I’d like you to leave in your comment of this post:

Name:

Listening location:

Notes: (Include frequencies and any details about your receiver and antenna.)

Link to audio or video: (YouTube, Vimeo, Internet Archive, SoundCloud, etc.)

Video and Audio Recordings

There is no way to directly upload audio in your comments, however, you can link to the recordings if you upload them to the Internet Archive (which I’d highly recommend) or any of the video streaming services like YouTube and Vimeo–or audio services like SoundCloud.

If you have a photo you’d like to include in your comment, send me an email from the same address you used in your comment. I’ll manually post the image at the top of your comment when time allows.

As with each year, I’ll make sure the BAS team and the BBC receive a link with all of your recordings!

Click here to comment with your recording of the 2021 BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica!

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Mikael enjoys listening to the Big Gun Friendship Net with his Tecsun PL-660

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Photo from K3LR’s “super station.” (via QRZ.com)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mikael, who writes:

The Big Gun Friendship Net, an amazing and friendly net!

It was late or earlier here in France, when I switched on my Tecsun PL-660 with its wire antenna plugged in.

As always, I was scanning the 40 meters band. I obtained my ham licence in 2019 but still do not have a rig to transmit on HF, so I am listening and learning.

Well…it was not exactly typical, because usually at this hour I am asleep. It was 02:00 UTC. I was not able to catch a lot traffic as Europe is asleep or just beginning to wake up…

And I hit the 7128 kHz frequency. Amazing! Lots of traffic and some very powerful stations. As I was listening, I figure out that it was not a chaotic traffic, but an organized one where every participants were referring to one or two call signs, which were giving a turn to speak and call CQ to make contact all over the world and try to help each other to make contact.

Oh! it is a net! And what a net ! The “Big Gun Friendship Net” where you can find amazing big station from all over the world and mainly from north America and Europe.

Now I am listening to these friendly voices at least one or three times per week. I spotted some recurring call-signs, and thanks to the qrz.com database I could check out their personals pages with the amazing photos of their antennas and installation. I can cite WP3R, Angel from Arecibo Porto Rico who gives us news about the state of the Arecibo Radio Telescope. K3VOX almost always the master of ceremony of the Net from Florida, who manage it so kindly and friendly, but there are many others Tim, K3LR, Mr. Pete YO7MPD from Romania always present and M0KPD/M with its impressive mobile installation who pops up sometimes.

Listening to this net, I could enjoy the contacts they are able to do, Kuwait, Nicaragua, Russia and many more.

Many thanks to all the participants of the Big Gun Friendship Net who make it possible!

If you are an SWL, I encourage you to tune in 7128 kHz between 02:00 UTC and 04:00 UTC; it is amazing!

Hoping one day I would be able to respond to the “CQ DX, CQ Delta X-Ray…” launched by the net.

73
Mikael, F4IGT

Thank you for sharing this, Mikael! What a great recommendation.

I don’t think I’ve ever noted this on the SWLing Post before, but I often use radio nets like the Big Gun Friendship Net to not only check propagation, but also how sensitive and selective a portable shortwave receiver is in SSB mode. It’s a great one stop shop! Simply tune to the frequency and listen to the stations check into the net. Their callsigns make it easy to ID the station location and, quite often, they’ll give detailed TX information such as their rig, power output, and antenna.

Thanks again for sharing!

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Help record the 2021 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast today (June 21, 2021)

Halley VI Research Station on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica (Source: British Antarctic Survey Team)

Every year, the BBC broadcasts a special program to the scientists and support staff in the British Antarctic Survey Team. The BBC plays music requests and sends special messages to the small team–35 individuals this year–located at various Antarctic research stations. Each year, the thirty minute show is guaranteed to be quirky, nostalgic, and certainly a DX-worthy catch!

After successful listener events from years past, I’m once again calling on all SWLing Post readers and shortwave radio listeners to make a short recording (say, 30-60 seconds) of the BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast today and share it here on the SWLing Post. Details on this below.

Time and frequencies

The 2021 Midwinter Broadcast will take place from 21:30-22:00 UTC on June 21, 2021 and will be broadcast on the following four frequencies:

6035 kHz from Dhabbaya
6170 kHz from Ascension
7305 kHz from Woofferton
9505 kHz from Woofferton

Recording the Midwinter Broadcast has become an SWLing Post community tradition! Read our previous post for more details.

I’m especially fond of this broadcast as it always falls on my birthday and it’s always fun capturing this unique DX!

Share your recording and notes with us!

Instead, I’d like to try something new!

Comment with your recording!

During the Midwinter broadcast, I will publish a dedicated post where you can comment and include links to audio and video of your 2021 Midwinter Broadcast recordings. When this post is available, I will link to it here. This will allow you to post your logs and recordings at your convenience without my availability becoming the bottleneck.

So that there’s no confusion, I’ve turned off comments on this post so that comments are left on the appropriate article.

Here’s the format I’d like you to leave in your comment of the dedicated post:

Name:

Listening location:

Notes: (Include frequencies and any details about your receiver and antenna.)

Link to audio or video: (YouTube, Vimeo, Internet Archive, SoundCloud, etc.)

Video and Audio Recordings

There is no way to directly upload audio in your comments, however, you can link to the recordings if you upload them to the Internet Archive (which I’d highly recommend) or any of the video streaming services–like YouTube and Vimeo–or audio services like SoundCloud.

As with each year, I’ll make sure the BAS team and the BBC receive a link with all of your recordings!

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Adi notes that some new 18650 cells are longer with added protection circuit

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adi, who writes:

Hi Thomas,

Recently I received from AliExp two 18650 3000mAh batteries to replace the aging original XHDATA for my D-808.

As you can see they are ~3mm longer than the original.

They still fit, but the spring is crushed to its minimum and the cover will not fit nicely unless I trim its inning a bit, with a knife .

A shorter one was on the page pictures when I order on AliEx, but I did not have the option to select it and I didn’t ask the seller.

The added 3mm is a new protection circuit

I charged them in the D-808 and, so far, they preform very well.

In order not to damage the spring, I decided to use these batteries only on long listening sessions and then put the original 18650s in, when the D-808 is at rest.

So when one is out there shopping for 18650s, it’s important to take note of their size.

Regards, Adi

Many thanks, Adi. I do see where the seller is noting the increased length of each cell to accommodate the protection circuit. It might be difficult to judge in advance, however, if a particular radio or device can cope with these slightly larger cells. Thank you for sharing this, Adi!

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The new HanRongDa HRD-747 portable spotted on Ali Baba

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Michael Schuster, who writes:

The Shenzhen HanRongDa HRD-747 is now spotted in the wholesale supply channel at US$53, minimum order 2 pieces.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/HRD-747-Portable-All-Band-Mini_1600253429230.html

The Ali listing has some closeups showing the display and key functions, battery compartment, sockets, and even a brief video demonstrating airband reception.

Thank you for sharing this, Mike! I would welcome a review of this portable!

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