Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares illustrated radio listening report of recent NHK World and Radio Ciudad broadcasts.
Click here to view on YouTube.
Click here to view on YouTube.
by Carlos Latuff
On the morning of Thursday, February 27, 2025, I visited the studios of the radio station of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS in Portuguese) in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Founded in 1950, it’s the first broadcaster in Brazil operated by a university, which currently broadcasts on medium wave (AM) and over the Internet (streaming): https://www.ufrgs.br/radio/ao-vivo/
Headquarters of the UFRGS radio studios in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
The programming focuses mainly on classical music, but it also has programs of other musical styles. Despite the technical, bureaucratic and financial difficulties (a typical scenario of state radio stations in Brazil), the UFRGS Radio has been operating thanks to the efforts of its team. One of the things that catches my attention at this station is the news bulletin, broadcast on weekdays at 12:00 p.m. local time, presented by Mrs. Claudia Rocca.
News bulletin from UFRGS Radio, voiced by Mrs. Cláudia Rocca.
The bulletin is 10 minutes long and brings local, national and international news, some of which are suitable for my already traditional illustrated radio listening.
According to the station’s director, Mr. Claudio Roberto Dornelles Remião, the UFRGS radio station, like most AM radio stations in Brazil, will migrate to FM, but there’s still no set deadline.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Jeff McMahon, who notes that he’s published a new post on his blog, the Herculodge. In this article, he compares the Tecsun PL-680 with its near-twin, the PL-660, and shares his observations on performance, design, and speaker quality—along with a few unexpected surprises. You can read his full post here.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares illustrated radio listening report of a recent Radio 2 broadcast.
Carlos notes:
Part of Radio 2 news bulletin in Spanish about the massive blackout in Chile. Listened in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on a Sony ICR-N20 receiver.
The Radioddity CBL-561 is an antenna designed to work with the Radioddity QT80 10M radio (of course it can work with other radios as well), covering a range of 25 to 30 MHz. It is an extremely solid antenna, with an extensible section easily adjustable for different bands and frequencies. Frankly, I was quite impressed with how well designed the antenna is, and I suspect it could withstand just about any knocks or elements while mounted to a car or other metallic platform suitable for antennas.
There are various mounting methods available as typical for mobile antennas, but given the size, weight, and rigidity of the antenna, either a solid clamping-type mount, or one of the triangular/delta type mounts like the Radioddity M916 with its broader base area, would be my recommendation.
This type of mount provides more surface area to hold the antenna in place
The antenna has a PL-259 connector, which requires your mount to have a S0-239 female connection, or adapted to a different size mount/coax connection. Again, I would recommend keeping connections as straight forward as possible, as adapters can add line loss, but more importantly, weaken the connection chain.
From the Manufacturer:
Compatible with:
10 Meter Radio
Radioddity QT40, Radioddity QT60, Radioddity QT80, and all other brand’s 10 meter radios.
CB Radio
Radioddity CS-47, Radioddity CB-27 Pro, Radioddity CB-500, Radioddity CB-900 Pro, and all other brand’s CB radios.
Specifications:
Frequency Band: 25-30MHz
SWR: ~1.3:1
Maximum Power: 500W (PEP)
Connector: PL-259
Whip Length: Adjustable
Material: Aluminum Alloy
Works with
1. Radioddity M916 Antenna Base (recommended)
2. Radioddity RA-M5 Antenna Base
What’s in the box?
1 x The bottom section of the antenna (fixed length of 44.5 cm/17.5 in)
1 x The middle section of the antenna (fixed length of 32 cm/12.6 in)
1 x The top section of the antenna (variable active length between 26.8 cm/10.6 in and 72 cm/28.3 in)
1 x 2mm Allen-key
———————————
Adjusting the antenna
Adjusting the antenna is very simple. The provided Allen key is all that is needed. The top section of the antenna is adjustable between ~10.5″ and ~28″, based on the frequencies you wish to cover. If you plan on using the antenna for different bands, you might want to mark the antenna with some paint after determining the best height for each band, so as to quickly make the adjustments.
The chart below gives suggested starting points for various frequencies. As each mounting situation is different, you will want to start with these numbers and then make adjustments as needed. For those who may not have done this type of adjustment before, I recommend making very small changes until you get a feel for how much difference an adjustment makes, otherwise you may end up “chasing your tail” as the saying goes.
This Length Chart based on frequency can be used as a starting point
You will want some form of an SWR meter to check the antenna match. If your radio has one built-in, that may be sufficient for getting it close. If you have access to a stand-alone meter, your readings will likely be more precise. I used an MFJ-269c for my readings, but any basic SWR meter capable of covering the ranges you need will be sufficient.
Another useful suggestion is to try different placements to see where you get the best readings. If mounting to an automobile trunk lid, for example, you might be surprised to realize you often only have two connection points to the trunk and the rest of the car body, namely the trunk lid hinges (as most trunks have rubber insulation around the seam to prevent water leakage).
If you do a search on the Internet for antenna grounding on automobiles, you can find out some interesting ways to increase the effectiveness of any antenna mounted to an automobile which can make use of a much greater surface area. Some solutions are quite clever!!
Conclusion
This is a great time to be working the upper amateur bands, and by extension, the CB band. This antenna should serve you well for those tasks, and should last a good long time! I doubt you could find a more solidly built antenna.
(For my review of the Radioddity QT80 10-meter radio click here.)
73, Robert K4PKM
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares illustrated radio listening report of a recent Radio Nikkei 2 broadcast.
Carlos notes:
Eye of the Tiger, Survivor
RaNi Music, Radio Nikkei 2, Japan, 6115 kHz
Feb 26 2025, 09h00 UTC
Listened in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on a Sony ICR-N20 receiver.
We at Imaginary Stations have another whistling and in gainful employment combination show coming out over the airwaves this weekend. It’s called WSTL—WORK 2 of course. It’s on Saturday 1st March 2025 at 1200 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and also on Sunday 2nd March 2025 at 1000/1400 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and at 2100 UTC on 3975 kHz brought to you via Shortwave Gold
We hope in your part of the world you will get a “clean as a whistle” signal so you can enjoy our show which is a cracker if we say so ourselves. So change into your overalls/coveralls or even an interview whistle (AKA whistle and flute in cockney rhyming slang), put on those eye and ear protectors and slip into some soft steel toe-capped boots and listen in at the alloted time and enjoy some fine tunes that will bring a smile to your face.
Then on Wednesday 5th March 2025 at 0300 UTC via WRMI we bring you WRBW the station that has the motto “Where rainbows connect us all”. Expect music containing all the colours of the rainbow and tunes from the colour swatch book of hits. If all goes well they’ll be an interview with Roy G. Biv himself. Tune in and enjoy the Kaleidoscopic vibes.
For more information on all our shows, please write to [email protected] and check out our old shows at our Mixcloud page here.
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