Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who shares his latest update to his A20 season guide to music on shortwave.
Click here to download a PDF copy of Alan Roe’s Music on Shortwave A20.
Alan, thanks so much for keeping this brilliant guide updated each broadcast season and for sharing it here with the community!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Evans (W4/VP9KF), who has been following the progress of new FCC RF exposure rules and writes:
“The ARRL has finally read the new RF Exposure rules and agrees with my thoughts that they are going to make quite a difference in the way the FCC sees amateur radio levels.”
(Source: ARRL News)
ARRL Seeks Clarification of Amended Amateur Service RF Safety Rules
ARRL has filed a Petition for Clarification addressing two issues arising from amended FCC RF safety rules that go into effect on June 1 for the Amateur Service and other FCC-regulated services. Licensees will have 2 years to determine if an RF safety evaluation is now required under the new rules and to perform an evaluation and implement any needed mitigation measures. Current rules already require amateur stations to meet RF exposure limits, but more radio amateurs will have to evaluate their stations under the new rules. The revised final rules, adopted last November, appeared in the April 1 edition of The Federal Register.
“For applicants and licensees in the Amateur Radio Service, we substitute our general exemption criteria for the specific exemption from routine evaluation based on power alone in §97.13(c)(1) and specify the use of occupational/controlled limits for amateurs where appropriate,” the FCC said. While radio amateurs have always had to comply with RF exposure limits, certain stations have been exempted from having to conduct evaluations based upon power and frequency.
On May 8, ARRL asked the FCC to clarify that using maximum permissible exposure (MPE) limits be permitted in the Amateur Service for required RF safety evaluations of 2200-meter operations, just as they are elsewhere in the amateur spectrum. Removal of the exemption for amateurs resulted in a requirement to use specific absorption rate (SAR) limits for amateur frequencies between 100 and 300 kHz.
“SAR evaluations are very complex to directly measure and, we believe, generally exceed the capability of most individual amateur operators,” ARRL argued in its petition, asserting that MPE limits correspond to conservative estimates of SAR.[…]
Continue reading the full article here.
Paul adds:
“You’ll note that they too were clearly caught out by there being no comment period as stated in December 2019, but the FINAL ruling appeared out of the blue in the Federal Register on April 1, 2020, which took me by surprise (having checked every day for over 90 days!).”
Thank you for following and sharing this development, Paul!
(Source: radio six international via Gérard Koopal)
Shortwave broadcast on June 6th
After an absence of five years, Scottish station radio six international returns to the HF bands to mark the outlet’s 57th anniversary.
Saturday Sounds with Tony Currie will air from 22:00 to 24:00 UTC on 6,070kHz (49.39m) via Channel 292’s 10kW transmitter in Germany. The programme will largely feature independent and unsigned music from around the world. QSL cards will be issued on receipt of either one Euro of one US dollar for return postage, with Reception Reports requested to be sent to Radio Six International, 21 Sherbrooke Avenue, Glasgow G41 4HF, Scotland. E-QSLs will happily be sent free of charge.
Launched in 1963 as an afternoon’s entertainment by a group of primary school children, it never went away and after various incarnations – including a spell as Europe’s first commercial cable radio network in the 1980s – the station has been webcasting round the clock for the past twenty years.
For a time, the station maintained a daily shortwave presence from 2004, using the facilities of both IRRS and WBCQ, switching to weekly transmissions from Ulbroka, Latvia in 2005 and daily programmes on medium wave and satellite via RTI in Tatras, Slovakia.
In 2008 the various transmissions were ended to concentrate on the internet service and the provision of syndicated programming around the world. 58 stations now take some or all of our output, with 9 hours a week simulcast on FM in New Zealand and 4 hours on FM in Taiwan.
Our broadcast on June 6th is currently on one-off; however we are considering a more regular return to the HF bands in the future.
Note: Radio Six International is an internet station at www.radiosix.com with audited listeners in 200 countries worldwide. It’s been webcasting since 2000, and syndicates up to 9 hours a week of programmes to its affiliate network of 58 AM, FM and DAB Digital stations around the world.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dean Bianco, who kindly allowed me to share his note which accompanies the photo above:
Me and my then brand-new JRC-NRD-515 in 1985.
Thirty-five years later in 2020, it is still with me. It works today as it did when it was first taken out of its box! This fact is a testament to the 515’s precision engineering, high-quality components, and tank tough build! The only trouble in these 35 years was the gummy 2.4 kHz mechanical filter issue that all 515’s eventually suffer. However, that was an easy fix and other than de-oxit every five years in the controls, and dusting the interconnect circuit wire RCA plugs, it performs flawlessly. It was used two hours ago.
I have an advanced SDR stand-alone, the astounding Icom R-8600 that has better sound, better specs, and more facilities to peak and tweak a flea-powered signal out of a huge pile of powerhouse flamethrowers than does the old 515. But, when I want to experience the old-school large knobs, the large tuning wheel and the sheer enjoyment that only an old heavy metal radio can provide, I turn to the classic NRD-515!
I don’t blame you, Dean. I have never owned an NRD-515, but I have always admired its design and layout. It has such an all-business, military/rugged look. One thing I really love about the NRD-515 is how the RF and AF gain pots flank either side of the main encoder. The controls spacing is also ideal, in my book. Check out the following photo I took of Dan Robinson’s NRD-515:
Thanks so much, Dean!
Any other NRD-515 owners or lovers out there? Please comment!
Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post readers who have pointed out the recent update from Universal Radio regarding the availability of the Eton Elite Satellit.
Per Universal Radio:
05/11/20
Eton expects this new model to be available in 2021. Beacause of the date uncertainty we are not accepting web pre-orders at this time. Please check back in 2021.
i can’t say I’m very surprised by this since we really haven’t had an update on this model in such a long time. That and, of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has really botched up design, production, and the supply chain for so many products.
I’ll admit it: I’m a bit bummed. I was really looking forward to comparing the new Elite Satellite with my recently acquired E1 XM.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed, who writes:
While perusing products for a disabled family member, I came across this shortwave portable for visually impaired listeners. Its HF coverage is limited to 2300 – 21950KHz, but it also receives
standard AM & FM and plays mp3 files from a microSD card. Interestingly, its advertised features include, “Large easy to see buttons, Large LED display screen, Unique memory and delete design”!This could be a piece of Chinese junk, but I’ve long been drawn to weird and unusual radios, no matter how well they perform. For $39.95 this radio might be fun to play with and give to a
visually-impaired friend or family member if it works. Do you or any SWLing Post readers know anything about this strange radio?https://www.maxiaids.com/ez-fm-am-sw-multiband-radio-mp3-speaker
Post readers: Please comment if you have any experience using this radio! I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this model marketed under other brand names.
Thanks, Ed!
ANNOUNCEMENT: On May 22 and May 29, From the Isle of Music and Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot will be testing 7440 kHz in the hopes of adding service to the Middle East, NE Africa and South Asia (but audible in other zones as well) Fridays from 1600-1700 (FTIOM) and 1700-1800 (UBMP) UTC on Channel 292 from Rohrbach, Germany.
Schedules:
From the Isle of Music, May 17-23:
This week, we add a new test transmission on 7440 kHz. May 10 was El día del son (the day of the son cubano), and we will honor that with music from several of the best bands that play the son in Cuba.
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 EST 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. TEST: For NE Africa, the Middle East and South Asia but probably audible beyond these zones, 1600-1700 UTC Friday, May 22 on Channel 292, 7440 kHz from Rohrbach, Germany.
Visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/fromtheisleofmusic
Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, May 17,19 and 22:
This week, we add a new test transmission on 7440 kHz. Episode 165 features musical comediennes from classical to popular to slightly risque.
The transmissions take place:
1.Sundays 2200-2300 (6:00PM -7:00PM Eastern US) 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. Tuesdays 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. TEST: For NE Africa, the Middle East and South Asia but probably audible beyond these zones, 1700-1800 UTC Friday, May 22 on Channel 292, 7440 kHz from Rohrbach, Germany.
Visit our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/UncleBillsMeltingPot