Dx-Camp Marajó Island: A small action to change our world

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Martin Butera who shares the following note:

Photo: Flyer Martin Butera (left) and Ivan Dias da Silva Junior (right)

A small action to change our world.

Fulfilling our commitment to get involved in causes of direct action, instead of only DX we decided to do something.

For this reason we planted in the Marajó island a small tree in the name of the European DX Council (EDXC) which we affectionately baptized with the name “Chrissy”, referring to our friend Chrissy Brand, Chief Editor of BDXC bulletin and European DX Council (EDXC) Secretary, who supported this DXcamp.

We are aware that planting a tree in the midst of the flames that are killing the Amazon rainforest will not be its salvation, but will leave a legacy and is a way to contribute to a better world.

Help the environment does not require big actions, but small ones, such as:

Separate out our waste for later recycling;
Turn off the lights. It seems obvious, but we don’t realize how many times we turn on the light of a room we will not stay in;
Eat organic fruits and vegetables. Organic products help the environment because in their production no fertilizers or other polluting products are needed;
Turn off the faucet correctly. When you do not need water, turn off the faucet and check for leaks;
Go by bicycle or public transport. Pollution in big cities comes largely from the excessive use of cars;
Take your own bags to the supermarket. More and more supermarkets are selling plastic bags to avoid their use and encourage recycling;
Take advantage of natural light. To reduce the electricity consumption, open the windows and curtains so that sunlight enters your home;
Recycle everything you can. Before throwing clothes, books or toys, think about whether you can give them a second chance to avoid spending and buying everything new. You will save money and protect the environment.

As you could read, they are small actions that help energy saving, recycling and conservation of these resources.

The report will be ready in January 2020,
Stay tuned for the official website https://dxcamp-marajo2019.blogspot.com/ and for the publications of SWLing Post and the BDXC (British Dx Club).

Ivan Dias da Silva Junior & Martin Butera

(15.61 Crew founders)

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Tecsun PL-990 and H-501 may be the last high-end shortwave portables from Tecsun

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor from China, Mei Tao, who writes:

I would like to share the latest news about Tecsun’s New Products: the PL-990 and H-501.

These day I found that several Chinese BCLers who received the PL990 or H501 one after another–they posted many a detailed pictures of these two radios. Lots of my friends asked me when they could buy these two radios on the market.

Then I asked the Tecsun’s boss, Mr Liang.

He replied that they had begun to supply the PL-990 and H-501, but there were only a quantity of 300 in the first batch. These radios were first supplied to the subscribers who pre-ordered PL-990 or H-501 in October. Therefore other customers would have to wait for the second or the third batch. As for the foreign BCLers, I believe the wait time will be longer.

In addition, there is a bit of bad news: Mr Liang told me that PL-990 and H-501 were the last products he led the team to design, and they were his last masterpieces. In other words, the PL-990 and H-501 may be Tecsun’s last high-end portable and desktop radios. What a pity!

Thank you for sharing this, Mei Tao. Yes, that would be a pity indeed if the PL-990 and H-501 end up being the last high-end portables from Tecsun. I suppose it’s not surprising, though, as I’m sure some of the demand for shortwave radios is on the decline at the same time so many inexpensive DSP-based portables are saturating the market.

Two years ago I heard from a reliable source that Tecsun might be pulling the plug on their high-end portables, so I was quite surprised when I saw the PL-990 and H-501 announcements earlier this year. I suppose these models could be a “last hurrah” and certainly a way to mark the PRC’s 70th anniversary (as we’ve seen on some of the radios’ promotional material).

Regardless, I’m looking forward to reviewing both of these radios. Frankly, I’m quite happy a few hundred production models are in the hands of enthusiasts in China. Hopefully early adopters have given critical feedback to Tecsun so that when the first major production run is exported, the units will have been well-vetted and solid performers.

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Dx-Camp Marajó Island: Thank you for the support!

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Martin Butera who shares the following note:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The DXcamp that took place between November 15 and 18 on the island of Marajó was the first event of this kind held in Brazil and perhaps in South America.

This DXcamp got the attention of several sponsors who helped the 15.61 Crew, including: C.Crane, SDRplay, DS Antennas (Brazil), Heil Sound, COMPACtenna, Cross Country Wireless, Antennas4Less, NI4L Antennas, Radiwow, RTL-SDR, ELAD, SSB, RadioShack, Antennas Loop DZ by Denis Zoqbi (Brazil), Arrow Antennas and the SWLing Post blog.

Different organizations and clubs are included: BDXC (British DX Club), EDXC (European DX Council), SR (Sugar Radio – Sperimental Group), RC (Romeo Charlie Dx Group), Colón Dx Club, Dxnews.com, among others.

We would like to thank everyone for supporting us and we hope to have all of you, in the next Dxcamp as well as all the people, beyond the brands, who believed in our project and supported this Dxcamp: Ligia Katze (DXcamp photographer and Martin Butera’s wife), Mark Van Marx (Marcos Melzi, photo editor), Orlando Perez (PT2OP), Chrissy Brand BDXC (British DX Club), all members of the European DX Council, Thomas Witherspoon ( SWLing Post), John Wilder KJ6AVJ (C.Crane Radio), Jon Hudson (SDRplay), Murilo Rodrigues (DS Antennas – Brazil), Bob Heil (Heil Sound), Chris Molding (Cross Country Wireless), Chris Fox (Ni4L), Madeleine Wellie (SSB -Electronic GmbH), Tim Chapman (Arrow Antennas), Jack Nilsson (COMPACtenna), Carl Laufer (RTL-SDR.com), Darrell / K7LZR (antennas4less.com), Denis Zobqi (Stars Telecom – Brazil), Radiwow, Elad SDR , RadioShack, Stephane (RC Int. DX Group), Mimmo (Sperimental Radio), Sal Al (GCC DX Foundation), all members of the Colón Dx Group and DXnews.com.

The report will be ready in January 2020,
Stay tuned for the official website https://dxcamp-marajo2019.blogspot.com/ and for the publications of SWLing Post and the BDXC (British Dx Club).

Ivan Dias da Silva Junior & Martin Butera

(15.61 Crew founders)

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FTIOM & UMBP, December 8-14

Ivan tests the SDRplay RSPdx’s HDR mode

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan (NO2CW), who writes:

The new RSPdx has what they call “High Dynamic Range: (HDR) mode below 2 mHz. I tested a day after receiving the new unit by turning HDR mode on and off. It seemed to make quite a difference when receiving Non Directional Beacons.

As far as Medium Wave itself, I did see some difference but it was harder to make conclusions there as propagation of weak signals on medium wave can change up and down in the course of a minute and some additional testing on Medium Wave will be done in the future. Overall for anyone interested in the world below 2 mHz HDR mode is definitely something to explore!

My video is here:

Thank you for sharing, Ivan!

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Modifying a Degen DE1103 DSP for longwave/VLF?

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jiri Kaplan, who writes:

Is it possible to modify the new (DSP) DEGEN DE1103 for VLF reception?

Like before, the old Degen version (without DSP), see these videos:

I wonder if instead of the DE1103 I should buy the PL-660 or PL-680?
I think DSP is worse and the old version can no longer unfortunately be purchased.
My main concern is good selectivity and sensitivity, I live in the city, there are many strong signals.

Thank you for your question, Jiri.

I’m certain you can’t use the same modification of the original DE1103 on the DSP version to achieve VLF reception. In fact, unless the DSP chip itself can be hacked, I imagine modding the DSP DE1103 for VLF would be quite difficult.

I hope more knowledgeable SWLing Post readers can comment with a definitive answer.

Regarding the choice between the DE1103 DSP and the PL–660 or PL-680? I wouldn’t hesitate to grab either Tecsun receiver over the DE1103 DSP. Check out my short review of the DE1103 DSP for more info about this particular model’s shortcomings.

You’re right about finding the original DE1103. I did create this eBay link that should help filter out the DSP models from the search results. At time of posting, there were no listings.

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