Bob Heil: 50 Years of Maximum Rock n’ Roll

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, William (W8LV), who writes:

Bob Heil’s story, as told BY Bob Heil, is available as a podcast. Here, find real music and amateur radio history as told firsthand!

Available here:

Check out: 50 Years of Maximum Rock n’ Roll:

Thank you, William! As a sample, here’s one of the episodes:

S1:E03: Joe Walsh and the History of Heil Sound:

For the full episode archive, check out this link.

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It’s shortwave sleepy time again!

Hi all SWLing Post Community, FastRadioBurst 23 from the Imaginary Stations crew letting you know about our shortwave shows this week. The first is another very chilled, dreamy and sleep inducing programme (in the best way possible of course). It’s called WZZZ 2 and is broadcast to Europe via Shortwave Gold on Sunday 17th March 2024 at 1000/1400 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and then at 2100 UTC on 3975 kHz. More music to snooze to!

On Thursday 21st March via WRMI we have another adventure in sound called WMMR – Mystery Mix Radio. You will only know what tunes will be played if you tune in at 0200 UTC on 9395 kHz. Don’t worry, they will be of the highest quality and of an eclectic mix from very own DJ Frederick. And here’s more on WZZZ:

For more information on the shows please email [email protected] and check out our old shows here.

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KBS A24 SW Frequency Change

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following announcement via KBS:

With the beginning of A24 season at 0100 UTC (1000 KST), March 31, 2024, KBS WORLD Radio English Service will broadcast at 1400-1600 UTC (2300-0100 KST) on 9785kHz instead of 9630kHz.

We hope the new frequency and the adjustments will better serve our listeners in the target area this season. Please send your listener feedback to English Service via email, snail mail and social media as always. Thank you!

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A Conversation with Eric Fetters-Walp

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

When the Top 10 DX of the Year 2023 Contest results were posted by the Top DX Radioclub on January 24, 2024 — https://swling.com/blog/2024/01/results-top-10-dx-of-the-year-2023/ —  I noticed that Eric Fetters-Walp had placed seventh overall and #1 in North America and #1 in the USA.

I was curious how he had achieved his results, so I contacted him, and he agreed to an interview.

SWLing: Tell me a bit about your history as a SWL.

EFW: When I was about 8 years old in the late 1970s, my Dad and I built a VHF airband radio kit; we were under one of the flight paths for LAX in the suburbs east of Los Angeles. I was into music on AM at the time, especially on 1020 KTNQ, a top 40 station back then.

By then time I was about to turn 13, we were living outside Seattle, and I wanted to upgrade to a better VHF radio. I bought a Realistic Patrolman SW-60, a big analog-dial radio with AM/FM/VHF/UHF and SW. I remember I had to earn the money doing chores, though my dad chipped in the last five bucks.

I brought it home and, while playing around with it, switched it to the shortwave band. I had never heard of shortwave before, but I almost immediately heard HCJB in Ecuador, and I was hooked. I was already a geography geek, so I’d listen while looking through a world atlas book I had. Even today, above my work desk, I have a map on cork board with pins in it.

I got really into collecting QSL cards from all over the world as I listened all through the rest of the 1980s. Shortwave really helped me become a news hound as I thought about studying journalism, and all the Cold War-era stations fed my fascination with history. For my college essay, I wrote about how I felt that being a shortwave listener as a teen helped me learn about the world.

I didn’t have an outdoor antenna at my parents’ house growing up, and I didn’t own a radio with a digital display until the 1990s. So, listening in that era taught me to be super patient, to sometimes just park on a frequency looking for signal to fade in.

By the early 1990s, as I was starting my career, working as a reporter and editor at small-town newspapers, I mostly fell out of SWLing. Then, I got married and my wife and I had three kids. My oldest is now 21 and my youngest is 14, so I had started to have some extra time again just a few years ago.

In 2018, I dusted off my old Sony ICF-SW7600G, and I had a little Kaito radio my dad gave me, and I started listening again. A little later on, I acquired the Eton model that became the current Elite Executive. And I strung up a wire on the backyard fence about 60 feet. I have an advantage: our backyard backs up to a wide-open middle school athletic field, which seems advantageous for cutting down the noise. I also have an MLA 30+ loop, and I’ve just started playing with an SDR dongle for hunting signals.

SWLing: What about the contest?

EFW: The rules are you record your best 10 catches during the month of December; they all must be in different countries. The scoring is complicated, but basically you are trying to hear the lowest-power station from the farthest distance. However, no clandestines, no pirates, no military stations, etc.

The first year I entered was 2018 after I read about it on The SWLing Post. I was surprised to do relatively well.

The past few years, my strategy has basically been to map out a list of target stations and then try to catch as many as I can. I started early in this latest contest, and that’s good thing; reception was pretty bad the second half of month. My goal’s always to make a good showing and just not finish last.

In the first week of December, LRA36 from Antarctica could be heard; 300 watts, and that was a huge addition to my points (I checked with the contest organizers to make sure it counted). I also logged Rádio Clube do Pará on 4885 in Brazil, which comes in pretty regularly here, and worked down the rest of my list.

SWLing: Do you have any advice for SWLs?

EFW: Even if you don’t have the most expensive equipment, so much depends on getting an antenna outside—even if it hangs only 6 feet off the ground as mine does.

In addition, a key to success is a willingness to be patient. I listen to relax and try not to be frantic about it. Since I’ve started SWLing again, I have logged nearly 70 countries by doing just that. Also, while I feel like I’m pretty experienced now, I’m always learning from others in this hobby. There are folks out there who are just great DXers, and I’m still reading their tips online to learn more.

Click here to check out Eric’s 2023 Top 10 DX of the Year Notes/Logs (Google Sheets).

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Why Schenectady?

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Meara who writes:

Thomas:

SWLing Post readers might like this one.

Ramakrishnan sent me the Smithsonian article. It is very nice, and helps answer — I think — the question about why so many old SW radio dials have “Schenectady” on them. Steinmetz seems like a great guy.

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-wizard-of-schenectady-charles.html

73 Bill

I love these bits of radio history, Bill! Thank you for sharing.

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Haluk spots a Braun T23 on Facebook Marketplace

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Haluk Mesci, who writes:

I recently bought a Braun T1000 in unbelievably good condition.

And today I noticed a Facebook ad for a Braun T23, on sale here in Toronto.
Judging from the photos, it is obvious that there is an ‘Eton E1 – Grundig YB 500’ kind of
similarity between T1000 and T23.

The price is unheard of, but I thought it could be a little post on the SWLing Post.

Best,
Haluk

Thank you for sharing this, Haluk. I do love all of the Braun designs, but it’s true that prices can be a little outrageous. I can see this one has been on the market for a while.

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