Patreon: A new way you can support the SWLing Post

 

Dear SWLing Post readers:

As the SWLing Post has grown to a community of over 7,000 daily readers, so to have costs and time. I’m reaching out today in a campaign to ask for your support to insure this site’s future.

In short: If you have the means and would like to support the SWLing Post each month, I would love to welcome you as a Patron or Producer on Patreon!
Become a Patron!

Why support the SWLing Post?

The SWLing Post is a labor of love, powered out of my energetic passion for radio and the radio community that we’ve established.

When I first launched the SWLing Post almost ten years ago, I would never have guessed that it would draw the huge readership it now has. At the time, I was simply putting a blog out there with links and articles I personally found to be of interest.

I’m incredibly proud of what the SWLing Post has become, and how the site has grown over the years––thanks to you, readers!  We routinely have anywhere from 5,000-7,000 daily readers on our site, and 1,200 subscribers to our email digest. I’ve made so many terrific friends through this site that I can scarcely count them all. Moreover, it has turned what is often a solitary hobby into a global community for many of us.

But with a growing site, expenses grow, too. Sponsorships and coffee fund contributions certainly help; we’re really grateful for those. Still, these don’t cover all the costs.

That’s where Patreon comes in. Establishing a reliable monthly income––however modest––through Patreon will help assure that the SWLing Post stays active and current well into the future. 

Your contribution will help:

  • Keep the SWLing Post online and secure: hosting, daily backup, malware protection, and professional support
  • Cover the cost of review radios and review equipment
  • Offset travel costs to events, conferences, and meetups
  • Support new site features
  • Pay for professional editing and content
  • Insure the overall longevity of the SWLing Post

Patreon Support levels

If you would like to support the SWLing Post, the most direct way is to become a producer through a monthly contribution program like Patreon’s.

Patrons

You can become an SWLing Post Patron for as little as $2 per month–less than a cup of coffee! We’ll add your name (in the order received) to our Patron’s page.
Become a Patron!

Producers

Of course, you can contribute any amount per month….But at $10+ per month, you’ll receive in thanks, three times each year, a Radio Postcard that’s worthy of framing. Each large color Postcard will feature a stunning classic radio dial. 

Our first Radio Postcard will be issued December 1, 2017, so you should receive it by the first or second week of December depending on where you live.

Looking for a radio-inspired gift for a friend or family member? Producer status can also be gifted.
Become a Patron!

Executive Producers

If you contribute $20 or more per month, you’ll get all of the benefits of being a Patron, including the Radio Postcard and Producer plus we’ll link to your personal or business website on our patron’s page. Executive producers can be individuals or businesses, and will be listed at the top of the page.

Looking for a radio-inspired gift for a friend or family member? Executive Producer status can also be gifted.
Become a Patron!

Other ways to support the SWLing Post

Coffee Fund

Of course, you can always simply drop the occasional contribution in our Coffee Fund through PayPal. Thanks!

Note: Even though these funds go to supporting the site, we really do purchase coffee with these contributions, too!  “Coffee fuels the Post!”

Recurring PayPal contributions

If you’d rather not give through Patreon, you can set up a monthly recurring payment through PayPal…and receive the exact same recognition and benefits as above.


Coffee Fund Options



Help us find sponsors

Want to help market the SWLing Post? Ask your favorite retailer to contact us to set up a sponsorship ad! We prefer radio-relevant companies, but it never hurts to ask.

Amazon purchases

At no cost to you, if you make Amazon.com purchases through our affiliate link––even if not items to which we link directly––the Post will receive a tiny percentage of your total purchase as a commission.

Click here to search Amazon.com with our affiliate ID and support the SWLing Post.

You can use this link to help support the SWLing Post through Amazon for any purchase(s) you make.

Spread the word!

We’re always looking for new radio enthusiasts to join the community. The more, the merrier! Please use our social media links at the bottom of our page. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Consider writing a Guest Post or Guest Review!

If you enjoy sharing your knowledge of the radio world, consider submitting a Guest Post or Guest Review which, if suitable for publication, will add to the knowledge base here on the SWLing Post!

Check out some of the 100+ Guest Posts in our archive.

…Or Just enjoy the content

If you’re not in a financial position to directly support the SWLing Post, we understand, friend. Seriously. We’re just glad you’re here and enjoy the site.

This is indeed a labor of love and we’ll always keep our content free to you and all our readers, and avoid obtrusive flashy ads as well.

Thank you!

If you’ve made it this far down the page, thanks for reading and understanding why I must sometimes make these calls for support.

I really love what I do here at the SWLing Post, and although I recognize the work I do here takes a great deal of my time––often competing with the income-producing work I do to keep afloat––the truth is that I still feel a bit uncomfortable asking for financial support to do it.

But I recognize it must be done; the future of the Post depends upon it.

So…thank you, friend, for your understanding and your support, in any form.

Because it’s you that powers the SWLing Post!

Become a Patron!

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Outernet Dreamcatcher board on sale

(Source: RTL-SDR.com)

OUTERNET DREAMCATCHER SALE IS A STEAL: $39 USD RTL-SDR + COMPUTING BOARD ALL-IN-ONE

The Outernet Dreamcatcher has recently gone on sale and is now only $39 USD. Previously it was priced at $79 and $59 USD. The Dreamcatcher is an RTL-SDR and computing board all built onto the same PCB. It has two SMA inputs – one is an L-band filtered and amplified input and the other is a standard wideband port good for all frequencies covered by a standard R820T2 RTL-SDR. For $39 it appears that you get the board itself, and a WiFi dongle, but no antennas, cables or SD cards are supplied with the unit.[…]

Read the full post at RTL-SDR.com.

Many thanks to the excellent RTL-SDR.com site for posting this. I just purchased a Dreamcatcher board via this sale and the total with USPS shipping came to $45.05 US.

Anyone interested in this deal, however, should be aware that it is for the board only. Indeed, Outernet offers these warnings:

Although some assistance can be found on our forums, Outernet provides no direct support for this product. If you are not a tinkerer, hobbyist, or hardware hacker, you may be disappointed with your purchase.

[…]Although we do replace or repair defective units, we are unable to provide refunds for any reason.

[…]Although this product can be used to receive the Outernet broadcast data channel, the availability of the broadcast is in no way guaranteed.

If you purchase a Dreamcatcher board, in other words, purchase it because you’re fascinated with the hardware and other possible uses.

Ultimately, Outernet plans to produce an all-in-one, solar-powered receiving station called the Lantern–I was an early backer, but I haven’t seen an update about the project in months. I do wonder what Outernet’s future looks like at this point.

The folks at Outernet follow the SWLing Post–perhaps one of their representatives can comment with an update?

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Eton Field BT price lowered on Amazon

The Grundig Edition (Eton) Field BT

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who notes:

The Eton Field BT’s price has been reduced to $110.49 since last Monday on Amazon.

Click here to view on Amazon.com (affiliate link).

Click here to read Troy’s recent comparison of the Field BT to the Tecsun S-8800.

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Listen for Halloween pirate radio this weekend and Tuesday night

Haloween-Pirate-RadioHalloween is typically the most active day of the year for shortwave pirates. Halloween falls on Tuesday, October 31st, however you should start listening for activity this weekend as the pirates emerge like The Great Pumpkin!

Here are three things you’ll want to do this weekend and on Halloween night:

1. Hobby Broadcasting Blog

Check out Andrew Yoder’s pirate radio blog ,the Hobby Broadcasting blog.

 

Andrew is the author of the Pirate Radio Annual and a guru on shortwave pirate radio. Andrew has already logged some Halloween stations this weekend.

2. HF Underground

hfunderground

Follow real-time pirate radio spots and loggings on the HF Underground discussion forum. Chris Smolinski at HFU typically posts post-Halloween pirate stats on the SWLing Post as well–always a fascinating overview.

3. Listen!

Crosley-Dial-BlackAndWhite

Listen for pirate radio stations today and throughout the weekend!  Turn on your radio anytime today, but especially around twilight and tune between 6,920 – 6,980 kHz. Pirates broadcast on both AM and SSB; you’re bound to hear a few. If you’re brand new to pirate radio listening, you might read my pirate radio primer by clicking here. I will be listening until late in the evening.

Happy Halloween to all! 

Speaking of pirates, don’t forget: the 2017 Global HF Pirate Radio Weekend is next weekend (Nov 3-5)!

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Tecsun PL-680: Rolf touts enhanced performance using PL-660 mod

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rolf Snijder, who writes:

I have made the same modification to the Tecsun PL-680, that was done [by many on the] PL-660 earlier.

The PL-680 is now a great radio; I think now one of the best! I do not own a PL-660, so I cannot compare.

Photo detail

Overview of modification.

For disable soft mute you can see the 2 joints and you must scratch a path on the print near the switch. (same on a PL-660)

Closeup of joint #1 (click to enlarge)

Closeup of joint #2 (click to enlarge)

With the tone switch [on the left side panel of radio] you can turn the muting on and off. On FM I need to set it on for better results, but on LW MW and SW always off!

Frequency adjust is with the pot: adj1391 in the right corner. (for the 1 kHz off freq)

Click to enlarge.

Hope I can help someone with this on your great site.

Greetings,

Rolf Snijder
Netherlands

Many thanks for sharing this PL-680 mod, Rolf! This seems like a simple enough project and one that can be undone if you aren’t pleased with the results.

Post readers: Please comment if you’ve made this modification to your PL-680 or PL-660 or if you have other successful modifications to share!

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Deutsche Welle may have dropped English language shortwave service

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Paul Walker who notes that, according to their latest schedule, Deutsche Welle has dropped English language shortwave services. Paul shared the following links:

Current shortwave schedule:
http://www.dw.com/downloads/41133929/b17webkw.pdf

Linked from this page:
http://www.dw.com/en/dw-radio-programs/a-1777509

English only gets one hour a day on satellite
http://www.dw.com/downloads/41133930/b17websat.pdf

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British Columbia: Large collection of antique radios up for auction

(Source: Vancouver Sun via William Lee)

Victor Jaeggle loved radios.

“He had a big, shortwave radio he kept by his bedside,” said his daughter, Susan. “This thing would buzz all night. He’d have headphones on, listening to San Francisco, the British news. He was just a radio junkie.”

Jaeggle wasn’t just a radio listener, he was a radio collector. He bought his first cabinet radio from an auction as a pre-teen, and over the decades amassed a huge collection.

“He spent many hours torturing his family with the screeches, whines and whistles of accurate restoration in an ever-shrinking house full of radios,” Susan recounts, with a laugh.

“(The basement) was chock-a-block with radios,” said his ex-wife, Anne. “You kind of wandered down this narrow pathway to get from the bottom of the stairs to the laundry room.”

Jaeggle died on Dec. 8, 2014, at age 72. Almost three years later, his family has put his radios and gramophones up for sale Oct. 28 at Able Auctions in Abbotsford.

Sam Garandza of Able has never sold anything quite like it.

“This is the biggest collection I’ve ever sold,” said Garandza. “I think I had 70 radios in one consignment, but this has to be 400 or 500 radios. (There are so many) we are selling some in group lots, so we might end up with 200 to 250 lots.”[…]

Continue reading at the Vancouver Sun…

Many thanks for the tip, William! Thankfully, I live too far away from this auction to attend, else I’d be tempted by these beauties!

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