Glenn Hauser’s World of Radio reaches a milestone

Glenn Hauser’s World of Radio will air episode 2,000 this weekend.

The thirty minute World Of Radio show, which covers all things DX, debuted in 1980 on WUOT-FM in Knoxville, Tennessee, and moved to shortwave outlets two years later. Glenn Hauser has faithfully produced the show since then.

SWLing Post Executive Producer, Scott Gamble, contacted me recently and wrote:

In 1980 I was a freshman in high school when my parents gave me a shortwave radio for Christmas. This was during the heyday of international broadcasting, and it opened up an entire world of content that my teenage brain was excited to soak up. I’m not sure exactly when and where, but I soon after stumbled across Glenn Hauser’s World of Radio program immediately became a fan. Glenn’s unmistakable style and ability to jam so much news into a short broadcast provided a wealth of programming information in an era where access was nowhere near as ubiquitous as it is today. Glenn’s weekly broadcasts kept us all informed about schedules and content, and shortly after I became a subscriber to his Review of International Broadcasting publication. RIB provided a fascinating deeper dive into programming, politics and people behind the broadcasts, forever expanding my worldview and I’m sure thousands of others.

Writing about this in 2019, on the eve of the 2,000th episode of World of Radio, it is a testament to Glenn that his work has evolved so well into the digital age, and shows that even in a world where unlimited information is constantly available via the internet, curation and expert commentary are still highly valuable commodities. I still enjoy listening to WOR (as a podcast) every week. Congratulations, Glenn!

Thank you for sharing that memory with us, Scott. I also started listening to World of Radio in my youth. In the 1980s, I had no friends that were into shortwave listening and didn’t have the means to join any of the listener clubs, so World of Radio was my window into all that was DXing.

Share your WOR memories and comments to win an Eton Mini!

If you comment with a memory or positive message about World of Radio, you will be entered in a contest to win a Grundig Edition Eton Mini shortwave receiver. I will pick a commenter at random next Friday (September 27, 2019) and ship them their prize! (Congrats to Robert Graham who won our last giveaway).

This prize was donated by the good folks at Universal Radio.

The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere in the world (although if international, you may be responsible for any duties/taxes paid in customs clearance).

Good luck and congratulations to Glenn Hauser and his World of Radio!

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Radio Deal: Eton Executive Traveler on Amazon

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor (and our intrepid radio deal reporter) Christian, who writes:

The price of the Eton Executive Traveler was down several months ago, but then increased on Amazon. I’ve been watching and now prices are back down to historic lows for this modelare back down to historic lows for this model. As with any Amazon deal, you snooze, you lose, because their prices are dynamic and can change without warning.

Thanks for the tip once again, Christian! It’s ironic, I just ran into my buddy Kevin at the W4DXCC conference and he told me he loves the Traveler so much, he bought two. It’s a great value at $36.

Click here to view on Amazon.com (affiliate link supports the SWLing Post).

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“Pirate DAB multiplexes take to the air in Dublin and Cork”

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(Source: Radio Today Ireland via Mike Terry)

Pirate radio stations are appearing on unlicenced DAB digital multiplexes in Dublin and Cork, and more are planned for other cities in Ireland.

The “FreeDAB” platform, now carrying around ten stations, was born out of frustration over the procedures in place to broadcast legally on DAB in Ireland.

During the recent 12-month legal DAB multiplex trial operated by ‘éirdab’ in Cork, a radio station wanting to broadcast via this method would need to pay upfront for a five-year Section 71 licence (a list price of €14,000 (plus VAT)) and wait up to five months for the application to be processed.

But waiting five months for a licence and paying five years up-front to be on a 12-month trial are just two of the issues holding back DAB in Ireland.

The technology required to broadcast a multiplex is now easier to acquire and is mostly controlled by software whilst costs to broadcast illegally via the multiplexes also appear to be very low.[…]

Continue reading the full article at Radio Today Ireland.

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Special Broadcast: LRA36, Radio Nacional – Arcángel San Gabriel, Antarctica

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2014 QSL received by Christoph Ratzer

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following announcement:

LRA Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, Argentina Antártida

Special issue

This Saturday, September 21, LRA 36 will make a special transmission from the Esperanza Base, Antarctica Argentina. From 10 to 1115 Argentine time (13 to 1415 UTC) by 15476 kHz 19 meter band.

Receipt reports should be sent to [email protected] and, if correct, will be verified with a special electronic QSL.

The arrival of spring is a very good reason, as well as the proximity of the 40 years of the station that will be celebrated on October 20. The special broadcast will be in charge of the announcers of LRA36: Sabrina Alanis, Beatriz Costilla and Karina Muñoz while the technical operation is by José Calpanchay.

We appreciate spreading this message. You can also send your greetings, comments and suggestions to be read during the program.

Thank you!

Thank you for sharing this, Adrian.

LRA36 is one of my favorite stations to DX. Although it’s incredibly difficult to hear their 10 kw signal in North America, I always try and have sometimes been rewarded. This broadcast will take place while I’m attending the W4DXCC conference, but I will still attempt to listen even if remotely through my home SDR. I think I’ll put the amazing AirSpy HF+ Discovery on the job!

Readers: Please let me know if you’re able to snag this broadcast and please consider making a recording for the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive.

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David reviews and compares the MLA-30 magnetic loop antenna

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Day (N1DAY), who has completed a thorough review of the MLA-30 loop antenna. In this review, he compares the MLA to the Wellbrook ALA1530-LF and a 30 foot square ground loop antenna.

In short, he finds that the MLA-30 performs fairly well on the AM broadcast/mediumwave band, but can’t compete with the Wellbrook otherwise–especially in terms of noise floor. David also noted that “the MLA-30 had a very serious issue with IMD and in some cases, stations that were clearly heard with both the Wellbrook and the ground loop were totally obliterated by IMD when switching to the MLA-30.”.

Click here to read David’s full review on his blog, Ham Signal.

Click here to view the MLA-30 on eBay.

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FTIOM & UBMP, September 22-28

Jim’s PL-880 loses audio on FM band

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jim Krause, who writes seeking an explanation about a problem he’s experiencing with his Tecsun PL-880:

Tescum PL-880 Problem: The speaker will not output any sound when in the FM band.

The speaker outputs sound fine when in all other bands (AM, SW, etc.). When switched into the FM band, the tuner still works and outputs sound through the headphone jack- just not through the speaker, which just emits soft ticking sounds. The tuner itself and all other features seem to work fine- it just won’t output sound through the speaker when in FM mode.

FYI It was working fine until I had it plugged into a solar USB charger while listening to FM.

I hope someone here might be able to shed some light on the problem you’re experiencing. I do know that my buddy, Vlado, could address this issue but perhaps it’s not one that will require a technician.

I’m guessing this might be futile, but try doing a full reset of the PL-880. This is typically the first step in troubleshooting a Tecsun radio: