SDRplay: API 2.10 released

(Source: Jon Hudson, SDRplay)

API 2.10 has been released. We recommend you update your system to this latest version. We are constantly improving our software and updating to the latest version will allow us to provide you with the best possible support.

Users can simply go to our Downloads page on: http://www.sdrplay.com/downloads/ and download their choice of software again if they use SDRuno, HDSDR or the EXTIO plugin) to automatically pick up the the latest API. Alternatively you can just download the SDRplay API and replace your older copy wherever it sits in your system for these and other programmes.

RAE-Argentina: Update from Actualidad DX

1 Reply

Many thanks to Adrian Korol, at RAE, for sharing the following update from Actualidad DX:

ACTUALIDAD DX.COM.AR brings you the latest news of the radio world, the short waves, the media, the telecommunications, the DX, the ham radio and the digital context every week. A production of RAE Argentina to the world, edited by Arnaldo Slaen
This week

ACTUALIDAD DX.COM.AR No. 3

Greetings dear friends of Actualidad DX.com.ar, the DXing program about DXing, broadcasting media and new technologies that airs every week through RAE-Argentina to the World, the International Short Wave Station of the Argentine Republic.

We remind you that you can send your reception reports, suggestions, criticisms and comments to our email: actualidaddx.com.ar@gmail.com

We also invite you to contact us via traditional mail, to RAE Argentina to the World, PO Box 555, Post Code 1000, BA, Argentina.
RAE Argentina al Mundo keeps on incorporating new technologies and has now a new channel: AUDIONOW, that allows our listeners to follow our programs via their phones, at the cost of an local phone call.

AUDIONOW is a system to connect stations with their audiences in far-off places, as an alternative to SW and internet. In the specific case of the US, online listening is made only where there’s Wi Fi networks near, since 4G and 3G services don’t have flat-price data plans, but they do have flat-price plans for phone calls.

This radio-over-phone instrument is already used by other international broadcasters such as BBC, VOA, Radio Francia Internacional, Deutsche Welle, and the UN radio station.

On this first stage, RAE Argentina to the World will work with Audionow in English and Spanish for listeners in the US who will be able to tune in on our full hour-long programs or on our news bulletins.

Arrangements are being made to bring this option to Mexico and Canada in North America and Brazil in South America.

There’s the intention also of including football broadcasts.

And we kick off with SW hearings.

La Oesterreichischer Rundfunk, was picked up by transmitters in Moosbrun, Austria

0500-0620 en 6155 khz con 300 kW in German for the west of Europe, from Mondays to Fridays.

0500-0615 en 6155 khz also in German for western Europe, on Saturdays and Sundays.
From the same transmitting site, religious broadcaster FEBA goes on the air, between 0800-0830 on 15260 KHZ with 100KW in Arabic.

Also from Moosbrun, Austria, Radio DARC, broadcasts only on Sundays, between 0900-1000 UTC on 6070 khz con 100 kW in German.
Only the first Sunday of every month and always from Moosbrun, Radio JOystick can be picked up between 1000 and 1100 on 7330 khz, with 100 kW for Europe in German.

Now we share some news for the A17 broadcasting period by WCB-Madagascar World Voice.

Between 0200 and 0400, on its new frequency of 6190KHZ with 100KW, aimed at SOuth America in Spanish, with a program called “The Happy Voice”.

Between 0300-0400 on 15515 KHZ with 100KW for Southeast Asia with English-language program “African Pathways Radio”.

Between 1900 and 2000 on 9820 KHZ with 100KW in Russian for Eastern Europe, with a program generated by its sister station “KNLS New Life Station”.

Now we have more news from Argentina.

The Culture Secretary of La Rioja province, Víctor Robledo, together with other officials of the provincial administration met Cristian Arrieta, the delegate from the ENACOM, Communications Board.

The provincial secretariat had requested the federal authorities for an FM broadcasting license, to set up a public radio that broadcasts culture-related news.
We move on now to an international SW broadcaster, China International Radio proposed Sputnik China to create a joint brand, according to what was informed by Dmitri Kiseliov, director general of the Rossiya Segodnya, .media group

In addition, a project called “Russia and China on the Silk Road”, organized by both groups began last October.

25 journalists from both nations will visit the main stages of the New Silk Road between the cities of Xi’an and Urumchi.

And back to Latin America to visit Ecuador.

The Ecuadorian House of Culture reported that the Telecom Watchdog Agency, Arcotel, assigned an FM broadcasting licence to them.

Arcotel granted the entity the 100.9 frequency, with enough range to cover the province of Pichincha. The new station will be called Culture FM.

Pérez underlined the importance of getting the licence, something the House of Culture had been working for years. They already run an AM station, House of Culture Radio, that’s been on the air for almost 70 years, and is one of the forerunners in the field of cultural broadcasting in the country.

According to Pérez Torres, Culture FM will aim at contributing to the cultural enhancemente of Ecuadorians, bringing them closer to Latin America and the world.

Proaño, expects the station becomes a reference in culture for the country.

Let’s continue with the Americas. Now, Panamá.

The Panamanian National Authority of Public Services held two public hearings that seek to establish the reach and benefit for the population of granting Radio Licences Class B (non-proffit broadcasting) to the State-Ran SERTV broadcasting service and the Catholic Faith Radio Promotion Foundation.

During the hearings, which are part of the process the entity carries out every two years to assign FM licences, legal representatives of both organizations presented their arguments to obtain concession of the broadcasting rights, underlining they wanted them exclusively for divulging issues that strengthen national culture, democracy and transparency in public administration.

Moving on now to Venezuela, where various stations have closed down in the region of Yaracuy, because they were allegedly in violation of the law, and hadn’t met legal requirements to remain on the air.

The CONATEL telecom watchdog agency establishes that broadcasting is suspended until they meet the legal requirements.
These are the stations that were removed from the airwaves by the Venezuelan authorities: Yara 104.3, K-ndela 90.3, Más Network 98.9, Shaddai 101.9, Mix 98.3 y Criollísima 104.9, all of them FM stations.

Rumbera Network 106.5 was mentioned as one of the potential broadcasters in problems, but the station’s management dismissed this rumour, and explained they were off the air due to a broken transmitter that was fixed already.

When CONATEL inspectors visited the area of Nirgua, they closed down La Reina 96.7 FM, Agua Viva 90.3 FM y Tentación 90.9 FM. and also Divertida 104.7 FM, Sabor 89.9 FM, Auténtica 97.1 FM y Urbana 102.9 FM.

And the final part of our program is dedicated to cinema and radio.

Radio didn’t only revolutionize the telecommunications sector. It also enabled journalism and entertainment to explore new fields.

Therefore, the world of waves and transistors has generated a world of its own that has been depicted on various films. On the occasion of marking the World Radio Day, Non Stop People has prepared a clip reviewing the main radio-related films.

A highlight of the list is Good Morning Vietnam, of 1987, starring Robin Williams. The movie is a criticism of political correctness. The role of the radio presenter is key in other features such as Talking To Death of Lonely in the Night. Then, there’s also Radio Stories and Radio Days, that shows the effect the medium had on people’s day-to-day lives.

Not close to a radio receiver or internet? Now those who live in the US can listen to RAE-Argentina to the World live calling 641.552.8099 from any telephone, with no additional cost per call.

Call 641.552.8099 and listen to news and content by RAE – Argentina to the World. Save the number on your phone.

If you have friends and family in the US who enjoy being in touch with Argentine current affairs, tell them they can call 641.552.8099 and listen to RAE – Argentina to the World from any mobile phone.

The best part is that there’s no additional cost for the call when one calls from the US.

Link:

IN ENGLISH: https://www.spreaker.com/show/2051447

IN GERMAN: https://www.spreaker.com/show/2265789

PantronX Titus II DRM receiver update via Wavescan

18 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who writes:

There was a segment on the latest episode of AWR’s Wavescan (9 April 2017) about the Titus II DRM receiver recorded during the recent HFCC meeting in Jordan. In it, it was stated that the shipment of the first 1500 units was expected at the end of March or by the first half of April. Included some discussion of added shielding to prevent digital noise and the high-sensitivity of the receiver compared to other DRM units. Streaming and download of the Wavescan episode is available here:

Audio Player

00:00

Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.

http://awr.org/program/engmi_wav-2/

Many thanks for the tip, Richard!

A Radio Laser 558 revival

1 Reply

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Porter, who writes:

Radio Laser aka Laser 558 was an 80’s pirate station off the coat of England. Looks like one of the main movers is hosting a revival.

Dave shared the following email from Laser 558:

7 April 2017

Dear David,

Hopefully you have now had chance to read through Radio Adventures of the Communicator book? I hope you enjoyed reading and it was informative? I am interested to hear any comments, questions or suggestions you might have.

There is still considerable mileage in the Laser brand – hobby pirates using the Laser brand enjoy considerable success.
You don’t need me to tell you how successful Laser was. Few of us in the 1980s thought the memories would last so long, yet hundreds have bought my recent books about Laser, and many would like to work on a new Laser project. Maybe it’s because interest in 80s music has never been higher, or maybe deep down, everyone wants to be a pirate, even if only at weekends!

Our project is to Relaunch Laser
I’ve joined with other broadcast professionals to relaunch the Laser project from a ship. We believe that a reborn Laser venture would be economically viable, and it will be fun and exciting as well as profitable. A “little bit of naughtiness” invariably gives a project a whiff of extra desirability, it attracts more interest from anyone with a freedom-loving rebellious streak. The original Laser team and I were already aware of this when planning the station in 1983 and that basic tenet is just as true today. This is however 100% legal.

I felt that you would want to be involved and not miss this wonderful opportunity. The chance of a lifetime to be part of an exciting fun project. YOU could be working with experienced Laser engineers and some of her best known DJs. This is a golden opportunity to be a part of a radio venture on board a ship; one that the public can visit and get enthusiastic about.

The Pirate Ship
Our ship is chartered, licensed and insured for the public to visit and can berth in any of five dozen harbours and docks around the UK. Both radio and TV studios are being constructed on board along with a public performance area. With on board dining facilities, it means our audience can join us to experience life on board and enjoy a live performance by one of the artists recording that week. As well as recording facilities we are offering the ship for filming, just like the Radio Veronica ship in Amsterdam. The ship will be the main location for a feature length movie to be shot on board which the producers hope to expand into a TV series; we’ve seen some scripts and it’s very exciting. Members of our team may even be seen on screen!

This project is much more than just a radio station. We have been testing a Laser Tribute stream for some time and more recently our Laser TV Channel 558 has been streaming too. This will have both live and pre-recorded programmes. The music and videos showing on our ‘test transmissions’ now are taken from genuine 1980s Laser discs; we have a very wide library of all the hits from the era, and more, but Channel 558 will be more than just 80s. You can watch CHANNEL 558 right now on your computer or a smartphone – just click here or the test card at the top of this page. (some interesting adverts at :15 and :45!)

EVENTS
We’re currently lining up special events to publicise both the Pirate Ship and the radio brands:
Live Laser Lover Road Shows from various indoor and outdoor locations.
Laser Weekends at a UK Holiday Camp.
Laser Party Nights live from the radio ship each weekend.
BROADCAST EXPANSION
Programmes will be made available to local radio stations for rebroadcast, perhaps overnight. A DCMS consultation exercise currently taking place is expected to remove the restrictions on networking, which will substantially expand the possibilities of our daytime shows also being carried on other stations.

Our radio programmes will also be made available to the new local DAB muxes and we may take a channel on the national DAB, if reasonable terms can be agreed.

GOING FORWARD
What need to expand our team to include more help to help us relaunch LASER in some style and carry our plans out in full. The opportunities for this project are limitless, and this time around, its all legal! This exciting new opportunity is a metamorphosis of pirate radio into a legitimate and even more enjoyable operation; using today’s technology and communications capabilities, with a tried and tested brand identity.

News will be published HERE when we are ready to release it. I’m sure that you would like to be involved in what will be the most fun-packed radio party ever. If you confirm that you really ARE interested and we can take things from there.

Hope to hear further from you,

Best 73
Paul Rusling
Email: Paul@Laser558.eu

Many thanks, Dave, for sharing the news. Sounds like Laser 558 has some ambitious goals ahead! Pretty amazing. We’ll continue to follow their progress.

Radio 4KZ in Queensland to begin broadcasting on shortwave

6 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who shares the following news from NQ Radio/4KZ:

NEW SHORTWAVE SERVICE:

In May 2017 Radio 4KZ Innisfail in far North Queensland will commence transmission on 5055 kHz between 4pm and about 9am seven days a week.

The station will run 1.5kw into an inverted V antenna and will be a full simulcast of 4KZ, 531khz

It expected that the service will provide satisfactory coverage to
remote areas of the Cape where there are no AM or FM services available.

Sincerely
Al Kirton
General manager
NQ Radio

Thank you for the tip,Paul!

I just checked for the 4KZ website and found the following placeholder page:

Of course, we’ll keep you informed of any updates. Follow the tag: 4KZ

Tiganesti transmitter site down for maintenance

The Panasonic RF-B65: the legendary portable with a cult following amongst DXers

13 Replies

Hi there, back in 1990 I was given a Panasonic RF-B40 for my birthday (I think it was my birthday…1990 was a long time ago!). I found that radio to be very sensitive on shortwave, more so perhaps than my Sangean ATS-803A, but ultimately it didn’t really add much value to any serious DXing because it would only tune on shortwave in 5 kHz steps. This rather course tuning arrangement was very limiting in terms of tuning out adjacent noise and copying tropical band – and other signals that weren’t quite on-frequency etc. Frustrated, I lent my RF-B40 to my brother a few years ago and serves me right; following a house move, he managed to lose it! Quite a shame really because almost three decades later, I would have been very interested to put the RF-B40 through it’s paces on a DXpedition or two. You really don’t see them in action very often at all these days.

Above: the Panasonic RF-B40 (not mine – unfortunately) and the RF-B60, mid-DXpedition!

At that time, which was around the beginning of the 1990s, I read a review somewhere and it became clear that the better receiver was quite obviously the RF-B65. Upon it’s introduction into the market, the RF-B65 was immediately recognised as an excellent receiver, however, in the intervening years it’s reputation has continued to grow to the point today where it enjoys legendary status amongst DXers and bit of a cult following. There’s a lot of information on the RF-B65 to be found on the internet, so I won’t go into huge detail, but the obvious question is: what makes thsi receiver so special? Well, it’s a quite compact PPL double conversion receiver, covering 153 kHz to 29,999 kHz AM and 87.5 to 108 MHz, FM. It has a keypad for direct frequency input, although you have to press either the ‘FREQ’ or ‘METER’ buttons prior to punching in the numbers to define whether you wish to access a particular frequency, or band. I actually find that slightly annoying, but you easily learn to live with such trivial matters when using a radio of this quality and performance.

Furthermore, there’s an electronic signal strength meter, a DX/local attenuation switch, external antenna jack, SSB reception mode, 1 kHz tuning steps on shortwave (unlike it’s little brother the RF-B40) and fine tuning. The single bandwidth filter is 6 kHz wide and thus limits selectivity a little, although the SSB option and fine tune helps offset that somewhat. It would have been nice to have a couple more filtering options, particularly narrower for serious DXing in crowded bands, to combat adjacent channel QRM. Build quality is generally excellent as you would have expected from a high-end Panasonic portable and with a very compact form-factor – roughly the size of a paperback book and weighing in at just 1.4 Ibs, it is eminently more portable than a Sony ICF-SW77 or the iconic ICF-2001D/2010.

Ultimately, the RF-B65 continues to enjoy an excellent reputation today, nearly 30 years after it was introduced because it is a wonderfully sensitive receiver and arguably the best-ever performing shortwave portable in the paperback book size category – often touted as ‘travel portables’. I managed to acquire an example in as-new condition from eBay, although mind you, I paid through the nose for it lol – that cult following ensures prices remain very robust! I have tested my example against the equally legendary Sony ICF-2001D, still considered by many to be the benchmark for shortwave portables, and in my experience the Panasonic is right up there with it. There’s virtually no difference whatsoever in sensitivity. Where the Panasonic comes a little unstuck is the lack of bandwidth filtering and SYNC, leading to lower selectivity. However, clever use of SSB and fine tuning does provide quite good compensation for these shortcomings. Overall though, given it’s size, sensitivity, build quality and audio, as a complete package, in my opinion, the RF-B65 is equal to the ICF-2001D, and this is why today, it remains so highly sought after.

Below are embedded reception videos and text links to the Oxford Shortwave Log YouTube channel, with various DX catches on the RF-B65. Some of these are considered quite rare in Europe, for example EXPPM Radio Educación’s 1 kW signal from Mexico City, the now defunct ABC Northern Territories on 120 metres and Radio Bandeirantes from Sao Paolo, Brazil, amongst others. Please note; right at the bottom of this post is a link to some very recent comparisons with the brilliant Eton Satellit – one of the very best portables currently on the market today. The vintage Panasonic holds its own, despite 30 years of supposed technical innovation in electronics. Thanks for reading/watching/listening and I wish you all great DX.

Click here to view on Oxford Shortwave Log

Click here to view some comparison videos of the RF-B65 and Eton Satellit

Clint Gouveia is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Clint actively publishes videos of his shortwave radio excursions on his YouTube channel: Oxford Shortwave Log. Clint is based in Oxfordshire, England.