Many thanks to SWLing Post contribuor, Charlie (WA2ONH), who notes:
A good price for the XHDATA D-808 on eBay right now. No connection with the vendor. Buy at your own risk.
Thank you for the tip, Charlie! Looks like the seller has a 99.6% positive rating–impressive for the volume they handle. I suppose the only thing worth noting is shipping time–if you opt for free shipping, it could take a few weeks to arrive.
The price–$106.00 AU or $77.51 US–is a great price for the XHDATA D-808.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gregg Griffith, who notes that the Eton Grundig Edition Executive Sattelit is on sale at Amazon for $109.99 shipped. This is the lowest price I’ve ever seen for a new GEE Satellit. Since this is an Amazon sale, the price could change at any time. I have the original Satellit and am mighty tempted to grab this one.
Click here to view on Amazon (affiliate link).
FYI: This is a choice portable for DXers–check out some of Oxford Shortwave’s previous posts.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, 13dka, who left the following comment on my post about coastal SWLing:
Nice weather and pics! Hmmm… it wasn’t so obvious to me before but it looks like the Skywave SSB is even smaller than the D-808. Now I’m jealous! ?
I find it pretty amazing is that just a few wavelengths away from the water, the signals seem to be tapering off a bit already, so standing IN the water and holding a portable is certainly getting the absolute best out of the radio. When I moved here (to the coast) I took a portable with a relatively stable station tuned in and drove to my beach listening post with it, then I headed back home right away. It seemed pretty obvious how the proximity to the water gradually improved the signals but of course that was a pretty unscientific test. I should repeat that with an SDR rigged up on the passenger seat and do that a few times in a row.
I’m off now to check how I can get a Skywave SSB to Europe.
It is quite amazing how large bodies of salt water enhance reception! 🙂 Although my home in the mountains has very little RFI, the ground conductivity is poor. Those who live on the coast get much better mileage from their antennas!
Regarding the size of the CC Skywave SSB and XHDATA D-808, based on my measuring tape, the D-808 is about 1.25″ wider, 0.5″ taller and perhaps 0.125″ deeper than the CC Skywave SSB. Here are a few photos:
Not a massive difference in size by any means, but the Skywave SSB is smaller in every dimension. Since I typically do one-bag travel, I always choose the smaller radio. Of course, the D-808 is more affordable than the Skywave SSB and is easier to purchase outside the US.
I don’t know of a C. Crane distributor in Europe. Perhaps Post readers might comment with suggestions?
RCA Window from MI-7330
Two weeks ago, we announced a new contest to celebrate the SWLing Post‘s 10th Anniversary.
The prize is an amazing piece of broadcast history: a 75 year old round plate glass window that was fitted in the central main door of the RCA senders at the Woofferton, UK, transmitting site in 1943. This prize was generously donated by SWLing Post contributor and friend, Dave Porter (G4OYX).
Please read our original contest post (click here) which describes how you can enter to win.
The original post also contains the first of five contest questions which count as individual entries in the contest. Last week, we posted the second question.
And now for our third question and third possible contest entry…
Please note: If you read the SWLing Post email digest, you will need to view our prize questions on the web to see the embedded form. If the form below does not display, click here to open it in a new window.
We will post question #4 next week!
(Source: Jeff White at WRMI)
This coming Saturday, December 1, marks the fifth anniversary of WRMI’s transmissions from Okeechobee, Florida. Every year at this time, we have an Open House, which doubles as a Christmas party, for station staff, clients and local friends. WRMI listeners are also very welcome to attend this Open House. You can stop by anytime between 11 am and 6 pm local time to meet station employees, take a tour of the facility and enjoy some food and drink. Our address is: 10400 NW 240th Street, Okeechobee, Florida 34972. And our telephone is (305) 559-9764. We hope to see some of you here on December 1st.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mohamed, who comments with an update about the loss of NWS High Seas and Storm Warnings on WWV and WWVH. Mohamed writes:
The decision to terminate the broadcasts has not been retracted. It has only been delayed to January 31, 2019:
(Source: National Weather Service)
NOUS41 KWBC 151610
PNSWSHService Change Notice 18-102
National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring MD 1210 PM EST Thu Nov 15 2018To: Subscribers:
-NOAA Weather Wire Service-Emergency Managers Weather Information Network -NOAAPORT
Other NWS Partners, Users and EmployeesFrom: Craig Hodan, Chief Dissemination Systems Branch
Subject: Discontinuation of NWS High Seas and Storm Warnings
over NIST Time Frequency Broadcasts Effective January 31, 2019Effective Thursday, January 31, 2019, at 200 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) or 1800 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the NWS will discontinue dissemination of High Seas and Storm Warnings portion of the National Institutes of Science and Technology (NIST) time frequency broadcasts as issued by WWV and WWVH “shortwave” radio covering the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific.
This service is being terminated because weather information in the current broadcast format does not support frequent enough updates for changes in marine weather and cannot provide enough detail in the allotted window required by mariners to avoid hazardous weather. Additionally, alternative technologies and numerous media outlets that provide weather information in various formats have overtaken the need for providing weather information through the NIST frequency signals.
Other sources of marine weather and high seas alerts and detailed forecasts are available over satellite, telephone, the Internet, Marine Fax, Radio Fax and VHF radio. Currently the NWS, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the U.S. Navy (USN) provide multiple dissemination methods for storm positioning, high sea areas, observations, forecasts, outlooks and warnings for both coastal and oceanic marine zones near the United States using Navigational Telex (NAVTEX), Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and High Seas SImplex Teletype Over Radio (HFSITOR) in compliance with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) policies and the International Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.
Please refer to the following websites for more information on how to use these technologies:1. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/navtex.htm (NAVTEX)
2. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/gmdss.htm (GMDSS)
3. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/hfsitor.htm HFSITOR)
4. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/inmarsat.htm (SAFETYNET)
5. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/marine/vhfvoice.htm (USCG VHF)
For additional information, please contact:
Gregory Zwicker
National Weather Service
Dissemination Systems Branch
301-427-9682
[email protected]National Service Change Notices are online at:
https://www.weather.gov/notification/
NNNN
In addition to its regularly- scheduled programming, UBMP (Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot), a program that presents music from around the world along with a little comedy now and then, will be presenting the following hour-long holiday specials for the Americas in December:
1. Uncle Bill’s X-Mess Special, featuring Christmas music from around the planet, unusual holiday customs, a laugh or three and other stuff to help you escape the 86th version of that song you just heard 85 times…
Tuesday, Dec 25 8-9pm Eastern US time (meaning Wednesday, 0100-0200 UTC) on WBCQ 5130 kHz
2. Uncle Bill’s Rockless New Year’s Eve Special: We’ll take a look at some of the more unusual NYE / New Year’s Day rituals around the world with appropriate music to go with the countries in question. If you like to wear weird underwear, set fire to things or gorge on grapes, we may have just the thing for you…
Monday Dec 31 7-8pm Eastern US Time (meaning Tuesday, 0000-0100 UTC) on WBCQ 5130 kHz
For Europe, there will also be a New Year’s Eve UBMP special on Spaceline from Bulgaria, details to be announced.