Silphase R1 videos and information about power and antenna ports

2 Replies

We’re starting to get a little more info about the recently posted Silphase R1 SDR receiver. At this point, the radio isn’t in production and is obviously only in a prototype stage so there are a lot of question marks–including if it’ll ever come to fruition. The pandemic is obviously not an ideal time to launch and produce a new high-end radio. I, for one, certainly hope they do!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst asked Silphase about R1 external antenna support and power options. A Silphase representative replied:

“We are constantly redesigning the rear panel receiver Silphase R1, so we
can say for sure that there are 4 connectors – antenna F-type connector,
12.6 V power/charging, RJ-45 and USB”

And thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul, who received the following info from Silphase:

You can watch real videos on our YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQN8YbKULHlkA4KBFt76Hhg

Sample videos:

Click here to view all of the videos on the Silphase YouTube channel.

As we learn more about the Siplase R1, we’ll publish it on the Post with the tag: R1.

Spread the radio love

Converting Tecsun signal meter numbers into five strength units?

8 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Rolfe (M3OZP), who writes with the following inquiry:

Don’t know if anyone can help.

I have a Tecsun PL-880, and it shows signal strength in db. How can I work out the signal strength as 1 to 5? All my other radio have 1 to 5 signal strength meters which is what I have always been used to.

Many thanks.

Chris Rolfe
M3OZP

Thank you for your question, Chris. The signal meter on the PL-880 and a number of other late-model Tecsuns that use similar DSP chips share the signal display which indicates both the signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio. I believe the dBu number indicates the conducted voltage across the receiver’s internal resistance.

It’s perhaps one of my quirks, but as a listener I actually pay little attention to signal displays on portables unless I’m evaluating signal strength for a report or even using it to locate a local noise. Converting those numbers into an S1 to S5 number is simply something I would do by “guesstimating.” Yeah, not terribly scientific.

There are folks in the SWLing Post community who can do a much better job explaining the readout and how to interpret/convert signal strength across the MW, SW and FM bands.

Post Readers: Please comment if you can shed some light on simplifying signal strength for Chris.

Spread the radio love

Giuseppe’s reception of the LRA36 test broadcast

3 Replies

Photo from the Argentine Antarctic Base (LRA36) – Source: RAE

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè (IZ0GZW), who shares the following:

Dear Thomas

Here is the link of to video regarding the transmission of LRA 36 in USB mode Saturday July 25, 2020 from 17.00 UTC on 15.476 MHz.

A good result if I think it was almost impossible to listen to it with the sun still high … the place where I listen, in Formia, Italy, is really excellent.

73. Giuseppe Morlè iz0gzw.

Thank you for sharing this, Giuseppe! I’m always impressed with the DX you catch there at your location in Formia! Grazie e ciao!

Spread the radio love

NASA’s SCAN testbed was an orbiting multi-function SDR

2 Replies

SCAN Testbed (Source: NASA)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan (VR2HF) who writes:

“This looks like the world’s most expensive SDR to me. And a little mysterious. Like quantum computing!”

(Source: NASA)

Space Communications and Navigation (SCAN) Testbed

The SCAN Testbed, formerly known as Communications, Navigation, and Networking reConfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT), served as a test facility for NASA research on radio communications and the Global Positioning System (GPS).

SCAN Testbed on International Space Station (Source: NASA)

The SCAN Testbed was launched on July 20, 2012 on a Japanese H-IIB Transfer Vehicle and installed in the International Space Station to provide an on-orbit, adaptable software-defined radio (SDR) facility with corresponding ground and operational systems. This permitted mission operators to remotely change the functionality of radio communications through software once deployed to space, offering them flexibility to adapt to new science opportunities and recover from anomalies within the science payload or communication system.

The SCAN Testbed payload was used to conduct a variety of experiments with the goal of further advancing other technologies, reducing risks on other space missions, and enabling future mission capabilities.

After seven successful years, and more than 4,200 hours of testing, it was decommissioned June 3, 2019 as it burned up in the trunk of SpaceX CRS-17 upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

To learn more:
Communications Testbed Leaves Legacy of Pioneering Technology
2019 Space Technology Hall of Fame: Ka-Band Software-Defined Radio (SDR)/Harris AppSTAR™ Architecture
NASA’s Space Communications Testbed
Unique Testbed Soon will be in Space
SCAN Testbed Celebrates One Year Anniversary
Glenn Research Center SCAN Testbed

Thank you for sharing this, Dan! I had never heard of the SCAN testbed. I can only imagine what it might have been capable of accomplishing from orbit. I dare say there are even more powerful SDRs orbiting the planet at this moment!

Spread the radio love

FTIOM & UBMP to test 9670 kHz on Channel 292

Leave a reply

From the Isle of Music and Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot will be testing 9670 kHz on Channel 292 from Germany on Friday, August 7. Times are included in the transmission schedules below. Dxers beyond Europe are encouraged to try the broadcast as its effective range is uncertain at this writing.

From the Isle of Music, August 2-8:
This week by popular demand we repeat an episode we did with Kiki Valera several months ago.
The broadcasts take place:
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 Sofia, Bulgaria (1800-1900 MSK)
If you don’t have a shortwave radio or are out of range, you can listen live to an uplink from a listening radio in the Netherlands during the broadcast at
http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/?tune=9400am
2. For the Americas and parts of Europe, Tuesday 0000-0100 on WBCQ, 7490 kHz from Monticello, ME, USA (Monday 8-9PM EDT in the US).
If you don’t have a shortwave or are out of range, you can listen to a live stream from the WBCQ website here (choose 7490): http://www.wbcq.com/?page_id=7
3 & 4. For Europe and sometimes beyond, Tuesday 1900-2000 UTC and Saturday 1200-1300 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 kHz from Rohrbach, Germany.
If you don’t have a shortwave radio or are out of range, you can listen live to uplinks from various websdrs in Europe.
5. NEW: For Europe and possibly beyond, Friday 1800-1900 UTC on Channel 292, 9670 kHz from Rohrbach, Germany. If you don’t have a shortwave radio or are out of range, you can listen live to uplinks from various websdrs in Europe.
Our Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/fromtheisleofmusic/
Our V-Kontakte page is https://vk.com/fromtheisleofmusic
Our Patreon page is https://www.patreon.com/tilford

Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, August 2, 4 and 7:
Episode 176 features music from in and around Albania.
The transmissions take place:
1.Sunday 2200-2300 (6:00PM -7:00PM EDT) on WBCQ The Planet 7490 kHz from the US to the Americas and parts of Europe
If you don’t have a shortwave or are out of range, you can listen to a live stream from the WBCQ website here (choose 7490): http://www.wbcq.com/?page_id=7
2. Tuesday 2000-2100 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 kHz from Rohrbach, Germany for Europe.
If you don’t have a shortwave radio or are out of range, you can listen live to an uplink from different web SDRs in Europe
including a live uplink from a listening radio in the Netherlands at http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/?tune=6070am
3. NEW: Friday 1900-2000 UTC on Channel 292, 9670 kHz from Rohrbach, Germany for Europe and beyond.
If you don’t have a shortwave radio or are out of range, you can listen live to an uplink from different web SDRs in Europe including a live uplink from a listening radio in the Netherlands at http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/?tune=9670am
Our Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/UncleBillsMeltingPot/
Our V-Kontakte page is https://vk.com/fromtheisleofmusic
Our Patreon page is https://www.patreon.com/tilford

Spread the radio love

Finally confirmed reception of LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel Antarctica

10 Replies

For years now I’ve attempted to get decent reception of LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel in Antarctica. At times, I’ve been able to barely hear their AM signal here in North Carolina–at least, see it as a faint line on my spectrum display and barely hear audio rise above the noise. But in truth I could never confirm anything more than “male voice” and “music” thus never bothered with a report in good faith.

Recently, we’ve posted announcements for a series of test broadcasts from LRA36 in single sideband (SSB). Two weekends ago, I couldn’t receive a single inkling of their signal, but this past Saturday, I finally heard the station well enough to submit a detailed report and recording in confidence.

I had actually set my SDR to record 20 kHz of spectrum at home while I made my first CW POTA activation at the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway. A pop-up storm chased me away from the POTA site and it worried me that I had left my SDR running and connected to the antenna. Fortunately, none of the small thunder storms were directly over my home. Although there was heavy QRN due to local pop-up thunderstorms, their signal was there.

The following sample recording starts at 17:51 UTC (July 25, 2020) on 15476 kHz. It’s weak signal DX for sure, but interpretable. I made the recording with my WinRadio Excalibur SDR hooked up to a large Skyloop antenna. This clip starts with the song Juana Azurduy by Mercedes Sosa:

I’m so chuffed to add the LRA36 QSL to my collection! Broadcasting in SSB made all the difference!

Have you successfully logged LRA36 from your home? Please comment!

Spread the radio love

Radio Globe: A handy way to explore the world of Internet radio

3 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares a link to this fascinating project on the excellent Hackday site:

[…]RadioGlobe lets the user tune in over 2000 stations from around the world by spinning a real globe. It works by using two absolute rotary encoders that each have a whopping 1024 positions available. One encoder is stuck into the South Pole, and it reads the lines of longitude as the user spins the globe.

The other encoder is on the left side of the globe, and reads whatever latitude is focused in the reticle. Both encoder are connected to a Raspberry Pi 4, though if you want to replicate this open-source project using the incredibly detailed instructions, he says a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ will work, too.[…]

Just check out this video of Radio Globe in action!