Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who shares his A-24 (version 2.0) season guide to music on shortwave. Alan provides this amazing resource as a free PDF download:
Click here to download Music on Shortwave A-24 v2.0 (PDF)
As always, thank you for sharing your excellent guide, Alan!
This dedicated page will always have the latest version of Alan’s guide available for download.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following announcement from the Voice of Indonesia:
Voice of Indonesia, the Overseas Service of Radio Republik Indonesia (VOI RRI) will carry out an adjustment on our shortwave frequency starting Monday, 13 May 2024 at 00:00 UTC.
We are moving from 4750 KHz into 4755 KHz. Meanwhile our 3325 KHz will continue as usual.
We are asking for your understanding. Please send your feedback to our email address [email protected], websites voinews.id & rri.co.id, and our social media accounts.
Thank you for the tip, David!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares his radio log art of a recent broadcast of Radio Zorrilla de San Martin, covering the extensive flooding in Brazil and Uruguay.
Carlos notes:
Extract from the news bulletin of Radio Zorrilla de San Martin, AM 1400 kHz, about the floods in Brazil and Uruguay.
Many thanks to SWLing Post sponsor and supporter, SDRplay, who shares the following announcement:
SDRplay Limited is announcing the launch of the RSPdx-R2 which is an enhanced version of its highly popular multi antenna port SDR, the RSPdx.
Jon Hudson, SDRplay Sales and Marketing Director said “Global supply chain support issues have prompted some redesign of existing products to ensure continued supply for our UK manufacturing partners. With each new member of the RSP family, SDRplay tries to include improvements. This has given us the opportunity to offer performance enhancements at the same time as assuring supply”.
The RSPdx-R2 provides up to 10MHz spectrum visibility anywhere from 1kHZ to 2GHz with no gaps. It features:
More details on https://www.sdrplay.com/rspdxR2/
The suggested retail price is £188.00 GBP (excluding VAT), $235.00 USD (excluding tax) or €225.60 EUR (excluding tax).
SDRplay recently launched their free multiplatform SDRconnect software which as well as running on Windows, will also run on MacOS and Linux/Raspberry Pi. As with their SDRuno windows software, the emphasis is on “plug and play” making the SDRplay receivers an easy-to-use and low-cost way to discover (or rediscover) the radio hobby for anyone who already uses a computer.
The UK manufactured RSP family of SDR receivers are available directly from SDRplay Ltd. or from authorised resellers worldwide. More details on https://www.sdrplay.com/purchasehome/
For more information visit the SDRplay website on www.sdrplay.com
About SDRplay:
SDRplay limited is a registered UK company, with registered offices in the UK and Ireland. UK: SDRplay Limited, 21 Lenten Street, ALTON, Hampshire, GU34 1HG, UK, Registered Number: 09035244 Ireland: The Black Church, St Mary’s Place, Co. Dublin, D07 P4AX, Ireland, Registered Number: 3591295EH Correspondence Address: PO Box 1180, Princes Risborough, HP22 9TD, United Kingdom
Click here to view on YouTube.
FastRadioBurst 23 here letting you know of our shortwave outings this week. On Sunday 12th May 2024 at 0900/1300 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and then at 2000 UTC on 6160 kHz and 3975 kHz we have Mystery Mix Radio – Name That Theme which is beamed to Europe via Shortwave Gold.
This show as the title implies, is going to have a mystery theme and we ask our listeners to guess what that theme is once the show is aired. There will be a special eQSL for the first correct winner. Tune in to find out more details on how to enter.
Our second show is another WRMI edition of Test Cards on Radio on our new day of Wednesday 15th May 2024 at 0200 UTC on 9395 kHz. We’re talking more test card musical classics and test tones for screen calibration fans and rooftop antenna adjusters. Tune in and enjoy. More on the theme below.
For more information on all our shows please email [email protected] and check out our Mixcloud page here.
By Brian D. Smith, W9IND
You can’t go 3 for 3 if you haven’t gone 1 for 1. And if you want to add the 2024 Checkered Flag Award to your collection, you’ll have to bag the first W9IMS special event of the year sometime between now and 11:59 p.m. Saturday (Eastern Time)/0359 Sunday UTC.
Besides the currently running IndyCar Grand Prix event, hams and SWLs will need to work or tune in W9IMS two more times this year to take the Checkered Flag. After this week, W9IMS will return to the airwaves for the Indianapolis 500 (May 20-26) and the NASCAR 200 at the Brickyard (July 15-21).
The prime time to find W9IMS is from 6 to 10 p.m. Eastern (2200-0200 UTC) on weekdays, sometimes extending to midnight (0400 GMT), and the prime bands are 40 and 20 meters (generally around 7.245 and 14.245 MHz). However, frequencies can change as a result of QRM and other factors.
You can save time by checking W9IMS spots, which are posted frequently on DX Summit (www.dxsummit.fi).
Also, while W9IMS can appear at any time of day before the final signoff on Saturday night, you’ll have a better chance of finding the station by going to the W9IMS QRZ page (www.w9ims.com) and clicking the Grand Prix link under the heading “2024 Operating Schedule” – which displays the shifts that operators have already signed up for. The same page contains answers to a great many questions pertaining to the W9IMS QSL cards and certificate.
If you still haven’t worked W9IMS by Saturday, remember that at the end of the week, operators often start requesting calls only from stations that haven’t yet worked the current special event.
Another tip is to hang around for happy hour – the last blast on Race Day (May 11 for the 2024 Grand Prix) – which usually starts around 11 p.m. Indy time (0300 UTC). That’s when W9IMS ops traditionally switch to contest-style QSOs and exchange only signal reports so they can put as many stations in the logs as possible. But keep in mind that W9IMS special events can also end early if the station encounters sparse QSOs or adverse solar or weather conditions.
If you just can’t complete a QSO, you can always create an SWL report by copying down details of other W9IMS contacts – including frequency, UTC, and a few of the stations you heard W9IMS working. This can count as a credit for a Grand Prix QSL card and/or one of three credits toward a certificate. SWL certificates feature names instead of callsigns, but are otherwise indistinguishable from awards issued to amateur radio operators.
Whether or not you catch all three W9IMS events in 2024, you’ll qualify for a new and unique QSL card for each race that you log. But why not try for the trifecta? Stay on your toes, though – the Indy 500 special event begins only 9 days after the end of the Grand Prix!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who shares the following news via Spaceweather.com:
Above: Carrington’s sunspot (to scale) compared to today’s giant sunspot AR3664.
HUGE SUNSPOT HURLS CME TOWARD EARTH: A sunspot so large it visually rivals Carrington’s famous sunspot of 1859 hurled a CME toward Earth today. Don’t worry! A new Carrington Event is not in the offing. The incoming CME isn’t potent enough. However, this huge sunspot merits watching while Earth is in its strike zone. Full story @ Spaceweather.com.
CME impact alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts to receive an instant text message when the CME arrives.