Paul is impressed with the XHDATA/SIHUADON R-108 Shortwave Radio

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Jamet, who writes:

Hi Thomas,

Near my home, there’s a small pond where shortwave reception is often very good…

Receiver: XHDATA SIHUADON R-108 with single telescopic antenna (No external antenna)
Recording with a smartphone placed close to the receiver, which explains the ambient noise, especially the wind noise in the microphone.

Here are two recordings:

1 – The Voice of Korea in English; at the end of the recording, the frequencies are announced. Note that the Voice of Korea broadcasts to Europe in English from 3 pm to 4 pm UTC on 12015 kHz … But I got the best reception on 12020 kHz; this is not due to a defect in the receiver. At the same time, I also received 5/5

2 – RFA (Radio Free Asia) in Tibetan from the island of Tinian precisely on 12125 kHz; Cf. attached file; very strong signal

[…]Voice of Korea is becoming commonplace, but what’s interesting is to be able to pick up these distant stations with a little 45€ receiver! I’m very happy with this little receiver for listening to shortwave.

Click her to check out the XHDATA/SIHUADON R-108 at XHDATA.

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RAC: Canadian Amateurs Invited to Participate in Solar Eclipse Project

Contribute to Eclipse Science and History: Research Propagation with Your Receiver!

March 5, 2024 –

The Case Amateur Radio Club W8EDU of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio is excited to invite Canadian Amateurs to participate in the upcoming CHU Eclipse Data Collection Project!

We will be monitoring the reception of the Canadian time standard CHU before, during, and after the eclipse to measure the recombination time of the ionosphere. In other words, we know that the ionosphere changes in response to the presence of UV radiation in the sun by ionizing during the day and ‘de-ionizing’ at night (which is why many frequency bands propagate differently during the day and the night).

We understand how the ionosphere changes over a normal 24-hour period in response to the relatively slow transition from daytime to night time, but want to learn more about how it changes over a much shorter period (which is what the eclipse provides). We want you to help!

Our goal is to study how the eclipse affects radio wave propagation, helping us understand the ionosphere’s recombination time. To achieve this, we need your help recording Canada’s time standard station CHU for two weeks surrounding the April 8th eclipse. Anyone with a KiwiSDR or a rig capable of interfacing with analysis/recording software like Fldigi is encouraged to join the effort!

This project has already garnered enthusiastic support from various communities, including the American Radio Relay League, the Radio Amateurs of Canada, and the Ham Radio Citizen Science Investigation HamSCI.

We have over 20 stations across the continent participating, from universities and high schools to representatives from the Radio Amateurs of Canada and even a station in Mexico!

To join us and contribute valuable data, simply visit our website and follow the instructions (https://w8edu.wordpress.com/chu-eclipse-data-collection/) to set up your station and notify us about your participation.

Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions or comments.

Adam Goodman W7OKE, President, Case Amateur Radio Club
David Kazdan AD8Y, MD, PhD, Faculty Advisor, Case Amateur Radio Club
Chistian Zorman, PhD, Faculty Advisor, Case Amateur Radio Club, Associate Dean for Research, Case School of Engineering

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2024 Eclipse: HamSCI Roundtable Events

The Solar Eclipse Is One Month Away!

Learn How You Can Participate in Two HamSCI Roundtable Events

The last total solar eclipse across North America for twenty years will occur on Monday, April 8th. Hams across North America are asked to participate in learning more about how the ionosphere functions by getting on the air to help scientists in a series of ionospheric experiments.

Connect with HamSCI members and curious hams on Wednesday, March 27 at 8PM (Eastern) / 5PM (Pacific)*, or that same day at 10PM (Eastern) / 7PM (Pacific)* for a Zoom presentation on HamSCI’s Festivals of Eclipse Ionospheric Science (FoEIS). The presenters will take your questions during the 30-minute presentations.

The link to these presentations is here: https://scranton.zoom.us/j/286316405?pwd=QWdwMlFPbDlYeXg5ZDg1dmYzeFdCUT09#success

The program will start by covering HamSCI’s basis and purpose, quickly moving into why we are conducting experiments, how hams and SWLS can participate, and what we hope to learn from the event. Along the way, we will discuss why the science behind the events is important to users of the high frequency radio spectrum – including amateur radio operators!

Learn about the HamSCI’s eclipse-focused operating events:

Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP)

Gladstone Signal Spotting Challenge (GSSC)

Medium Wave Recording Event

Time Delay of Arrival (TDOA) Event

Grape 1 Doppler Receiver project

…and more!

There is no need to pre-register, create an account or log into any site. Simply follow this link at the date and times above to be taken to a Zoom meeting room, hosted by HamSCI: HamSCI FoEIS Roundtable Zoom Link

Join us on March 27th!! Get on the air April 8th!!

HamSCI serves as a means for fostering collaboration between professional researchers and amateur radio operators. It assists in developing and maintaining standards and agreements between all people and organizations involved. Its goals are to advance scientific research and understanding through amateur radio activities and encourage the development of new technologies to support this research.

For more information about HamSCI, to join our mailing list, or participate in our work, please visit us at www.hamsci.org.

###

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Snoozin’ on the shortwaves

Radio Waves: International Symposium Focuses on Broadcasting, Last Morse Station, Yaesu FRG-7 Digital Frequency Kit, and Remembering Bob Heil,

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Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Paul Jamet, Bob Butterfield, and NT for the following tips:

International symposium: Université Toulouse Capitole, 14 and 15 November 2024

From COVID-19 to armed conflicts: radio faced with a multiplicity of crises

https://radiography.hypotheses.org/files/2023/12/Appel-a-communication-Colloque-international-Radio-et-crises-Toulouse-2024-version-anglaise.pdf

Deadline: April 25th, 2024

America’s Last Morse Code Station (The Atlantic)

Maritime Morse code was formally phased out in 1999, but in California, a group of enthusiasts who call themselves the “radio squirrels” keeps the tradition alive.

Calling all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence.” With that, in January 1997, the French coast guard transmitted its final message in Morse code. Ships in distress had radioed out dits and dahs from the era of the Titanic to the era of Titanic. In near-instant time, the beeps could be deciphered by Morse-code stations thousands of miles away. First used to send messages over land in 1844, Morse code outlived the telegraph age by becoming the lingua franca of the sea. But by the late 20th century, satellite radio was turning it into a dying language. In February 1999, it officially ceased being the standard for maritime communication.

Nestled within the Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco, KPH Maritime Radio is the last operational Morse-code radio station in North America. The station—which consists of two buildings some 25 miles apart—once watched over the waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Both KPH sites shut down in 1997, but a few years later, a couple of radio enthusiasts brought them back to life. The crew has gotten slightly larger over the years. Its members call themselves the “radio squirrels.” Every Saturday, they beep out maritime news and weather reports, and receive any stray messages. Much of their communication is with the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, a World War II–era ship permanently parked at a San Francisco pier. [Continue reading, noting that much of The Atlantic’s content is behind a paywall…]

Yaesu FRG-7 Digital Frequency and S-meter Readout Kit

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Butterfield, who writes:

Readers who own a Yaesu FRG-7 and are interested in a digital frequency readout/S-meter kit that replaces the original analog S-meter may be interested in this item from Marcel Jacobs, PA8MA, Netherlands. It is available on eBay:

https://ebay.us/ji2zp7 [Note: this eBay partnership link supports the SWLing Post.]

I have not personally tried out this unit, however, it does look pretty slick. Further information can be found in the FRG-7 groups.io user group.

A video is also available on YouTube:

Audio Innovator Bob Heil Dies (Radio World)

Gave a unique sound to Frampton and was known in radio, audio and ham radio

Bob Heil has died, according to the company he founded. He was 83.

“Bob fought a valiant, year-long battle with cancer, and passed peacefully surrounded by his family,” Heil Sound posted on Facebook.

“Driven by a lifelong passion for sound, Bob’s pioneering work revolutionized how concertgoers experienced live sound.” [Here’ his official obituary.]

Heil was the inventor of the famous Heil Talk Box used memorably by musicians like Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Slash, Richie Sambora and others. He was invited to exhibit his innovations at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also was an active member of the amateur radio community.

In 2022 Bob and Sarah Heil transferred ownership of their company to President/CEO Ash Levitt and Director of Operations Steve Warford, Radio World reported at the time. “Sarah Heil has retired, but Bob will continue to do outreach work and product design within the amateur radio space under the title Founder and CEO Emeritus,” it stated then. [Continue reading…]

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Please consider supporting us via Patreon or our Coffee Fund!

Your support makes articles like this one possible. Thank you!

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ARRL: Bob Heil, K9EID, Silent Key

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Bob Heil (left) and me, Thomas (right): Photo from 2015 when I was fortunate enough to spend a couple days with Bob Heil at a radio conference.

Bob Heil, K9EID, Silent Key (ARRL News)

03/01/2024

The man who defined the sound of live rock ‘n’ roll music and brought audio engineering principals into mainstream amateur radio use, Dr. Bob Heil, K9EID, has passed away at the age of 83. He was an ARRL Life Member and in the ARRL Maxim Society. A Facebook post from Heil Ham Radio paid tribute to their founder: “Bob fought a valiant, yearlong battle with cancer, and passed peacefully surrounded by his family.”

Heil founded Heil Sound in 1966, through which he created the template for modern concert sound systems for musicians like the Grateful Dead, The Who, Joe Walsh, and Peter Frampton. The talk box used on iconic live record Frampton Comes Alive! was of Heil’s design. His audio engineering products have been featured in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he was honored in 2007 with the Parnelli Audio Innovator Award for his impact on the live sound industry. “My life has been about achieving great sound, whether on the concert stage or in the amateur radio world,” Bob Heil recounted in 2022. “I’ve watched Heil Sound go from a regional sound company to a world-class microphone manufacturer. This company has been my passion,” he said.

Parallel to his commercial and artistic success in live music, was his passion for amateur radio. He was active in ham radio from a young age and merged his expertise in audio engineering with his love for radio. Heil Ham Radio was founded to produce microphones, headsets, and other gear for radio amateurs with an emphasis on high-quality audio.

Heil was known as a mentor who enjoyed helping others find success in ham radio. Recently, his grandson Charlie Hartley, KF0OOP, became a licensed ham to surprise Heil for his birthday. The pair attended the ARRL Midwest Convention/Winterfest in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 27, 2024.

Heil was a generous donor to amateur radio organizations, including ARRL. Recently, he donated a host of new audio gear to the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW.

His generosity and kind nature will be missed by many, including ARRL Director of Development Kevin Beal, K8EAL. “Bob was a titan in many areas. He was generous with his time, offered keen insights, and had the heart of a philanthropist in the ARRL Maxim Society,” Beal said. “He was a gentleman to his core, making friends easily and everywhere he went, from rock stars to captains of industry. I consider it a real privilege to have become a friend to him, too, all because of amateur radio.”

Heil was known for his passion for AM operations. He served for many years as an on-camera host of the Ham Nation podcast. Tributes to Heil have been flooding social media, including from his co-hosts.

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said Heil’s passing is a significant loss. “Bob Heil’s technical achievements that brought high-quality audio to amateur radio pale in comparison to his generosity and willingness to help his fellow ham. He’s long been known as someone eager to help mentor and teach. His legacy on our hobby will be long-lasting. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.”

Click here to read this article on the ARRL website.

Bob, you were a true radio ambassador, and we all benefitted from your enthusiasm and passion for decades to come. Thank you.

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Bob Reviews the Model L87 Digital Voice Recorder

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove, who shares the following guest post:

The Model L87 Voice Recorder

Reviewed by Bob Colegrove

L87 Voice Recorder (Source: Amazon)

Introduction

Whenever I read a radio product review, the author invariably says whether the device has a line-out port. This seems to say a lot about the importance attached to this feature by a great number of our fellow radio enthusiasts. Besides audio recording, the port can be used for computer processing of facsimile and teletype signals. For basic recording, it seems to boil down to three purposes:

to provide a permanent archive of some things we have heard,
to replay portions of a weak signal to determine its identity, or
to share our catches with fellow enthusiasts.

There was a time before cassettes (BC) when I used a mini reel-to-reel tape deck to record radio broadcasts. This was not much bigger than a cigar box. It used 3-inch magnetic tape reels. There was no capstan. The take-up and supply reels rotated at constant speeds to provide tape motion for recording and rewinding. Thus, the tape would gradually accelerate past the heads as the diameter of the take-up reel increased. Consequently, a recorded tape did not travel at a constant speed and could only be played on the original recorder. I never used it much, and when it stopped working, I never bothered to replace it.

This winter I seem to be focused once again on medium wave DXing, and I began to think a recorder would be useful to help identify stations. I couldn’t get much of a consensus as to what recorders other hobbyists were using, so I went on the Internet to explore the market. Long story short, I wound up with an unbranded voice recorder. Neither the hardware nor the manual gives much of a clue as to who made it. The state of today’s small electronics market is replete with anonymous items. Anyway, the price was reasonable, and I have it.

There are probably a dozen or more equally capable recorders currently available, including those from Sony. So, this is not a model versus model comparison, but rather an enumeration of salient features of the Model L87 Voice Recorder and a conclusion as to its usefulness as an accessory for radio listening.

My recorder is marketed by Amazon [affiliate link] under the brand name of “G” (http://gtoptc.com/). It has 8 GB of system storage and 64 GB on a removable SD (TF) card. If you Google “L87 Voice Recorder” you will see that Amazon, Walmart, and eBay sell, what are by all appearances, identical recorders with greater or lesser system memory and different size SD cards. Some include an external microphone.

Description

To say the voice recording industry has come a long way since my reel-to-reel experience is an understatement. Digital media, miniaturization, and functionality pretty much sum up the improvements.

This device is billed as a voice recorder. It is intended to be used in dictation or brought into a classroom, conference, or other meeting to gather an audible transcription of the proceedings. Attaching it to the line-out jack of a radio is not an application that is listed in the promotional literature. So, in selecting a device a radio enthusiast must be assured that line-in capability is available.

Also, there is a matter of compatibility. The L87 voice recorder works very well with the Eton Elite Executive, Tecsun PL-880, Sony ICF-SW7600GR and Grundig Satellit 800. The recorder was tested on a Sony ICF-2010 and did not work. Apparently, the 2010s were designed to operate with older recorders having high-impedance microphone inputs.

Specifics

Memory – built-in system 8 GB, plus an included 64-GB SD (TF) card, 72 GB total. This we are told will produce 3,343 hours of recording at 32 kbps.
Battery – 500 mAh rechargeable lithium ion, having up to 13 hours continuous recording at 512 kbps, and 24 hours of playback with earphones.
File formats – Recording: WAV or MP3; or it can act as a player for any uploaded MP3, WAV, FLAC, APE, OGG, or WMA file.
Recording bit rates – for WAV: 512, 768, 1024, or 1536 kbps; for MP3: 32, 64, 128, or 192 kbps.
Gain settings – seven.
Voice activation – auto recording begins once the sound reaches a settable decibel level and stops when there is no sound. Probably of minimal use for the radio monitoring purpose.
File management – files are named with a time stamp (year, month, day, hour, seconds).
Optional password protection.
A-B repeat function – a portion of recording can be blocked for repetition. The A and B start-stop points do not alter the file and disappear when the file is closed.
Physical – dimensions: 4.13 inches long × 1.06 inches wide, × 0.39 inch thick; weight: 2.8 ounces.
Numerous other recording settings, including those for noise reduction.
First available – April 26, 2022.
Website – https://gtoptc.com/.

Experience

Being quite small, ergonomics is a consideration, and may take some practice. As I am right-handed, I unexpectedly realized that I grabbed this little device in my left hand, like a cell phone. That leaves my right hand free to press buttons, but I also tend to operate the controls with my left hand. Like many small travel radios, many buttons are dual purpose, and one must get used to short presses, long presses, and correct button sequences.

As an example of complexity, a change in volume requires a quick press of the VOL button, then repeated presses of the up/down buttons to arrive at the desired level. Fast forward and rewind are somewhat problematic. A short press of either button will quit the file you are listening to and queue up the preceding or next file, while a long press will incrementally rewind or fast forward the file you are listening to.

As it is marketed, this is a “voice recorder.” It provides a line-in capability, but you will have to supply your own stereo patch cord. Once programmed to line-in, you will not have to reset it when making follow-on recordings. Although it comes with an internal speaker, you can also swap out the patch cord with earphones for playback without changing any settings. Just to try it out, I used the built-in microphones to record a radio at normal volume. While the recording was acceptable, it was prone to any noise produced in the room or pressing recorder buttons.

L87 Buttons and Ports (Source: L87 Voice Recorder Instruction Manual)

Battery and storage capacity will not likely be a problem, as this device will continue to operate for many hours when properly prepared for use.

The device records in stereo, which likely doubles the file size for our purpose of generally needing only monaural recording. I have not found a way to change it. On the other hand, I recorded some classical music content from a local stereo FM station and connected the recorder to a nice set of shelf speakers for playback. The sound quality of the MP3 file at 128 kbps was excellent, at least to my ears.

The display is quite small, but very sharp and colorful showing essential information such as file name, time, file format, bit rate, and volume setting.

File management is neither intuitive nor very versatile. I could not find a way to create new folders or move files using the recorder. Connecting the recorder to the computer, I could create new folders which were recognized in the recorder’s folder function, but the display would indicate an incompatible format when I tried to save a new file to the computer-created folders. The recorder would however play prerecorded files transferred to the new folder by the computer. Lesson: just stick with the basic file functionality and save the manipulations for the computer.

The recorder comes with a USB-C cable which is used to recharge the battery and transfer files to or from a computer. Or, if the included SD card is used for storage, it can be removed and used on the computer for file transfer.

As a retired technical writer, I tend to be quite critical of user manuals that come with appliances and electronic gear. This one is only fair – no better or worse than most others I have come across recently. We’re not just talking picky grammar issues here. Some explanations are entirely missing, for example how to properly set the recorder input gain.

File Processing

A few years ago, I used an open-source audio file processing program called Audacity to digitize our collection of vinyl and tapes. Such applications serve as a quick way to process or edit the recorder files, for example, trimming the files to a desired size or normalizing their amplitude.

Conclusion

In retrospect, there are some things I should have recorded off the radio back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. But the fact that I’ve enjoyed the radio hobby without a recorder all these years probably does not qualify it as essential equipment in my radio shack. Useful? Yes. If you are interested in recording from your radio, and are a frequent traveler, these recorders are convenient, requiring very little space in the bag. Because of its small size, hand dexterity and attentive thought processes must be developed to use it effectively. This recorder has amazing capability, is well constructed, and appears to work as intended.

The Model L87 Voice Recorder on Amazon.com (Note: This affiliate link supports the SWLing Post at no cost to you.)

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