Destination: 2017 Hamvention and the FDIM (Four Days In May) conference

I’ll soon see a lot of this on my way to FDIM and the 2017 Hamvention.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ll be attending and hosting a booth for ETOW at the 2017 Hamvention this week.

Indeed, I’m spending today (Sunday) gathering all of my booth supplies, then organizing and packing them. I’ll be on the road for the better part of a week, so keep this in mind if you try to contact me.

Dayton Xenia Hamvention!

This photo was taken in the Hara Arena–this year, the Hamvention has new digs.

This will be the first year the Hamvention will be held at the Greene County Fairgrounds & Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio (just outside of Dayton).

According to the ARRL, the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) is expecting up to 35,000 visitors this year. That number is a little hard to believe as it would be a pretty dramatic increase in attendance over previous years. Still, I can attest that obtaining accommodation in the vicinity was quite difficult this year (similar to a few years ago when the Science Olympiad was hosted on Hamvention weekend).

The outdoor exhibits (flea market) portion of the Hamvention is very popular and will be on-site at the new venue.

I imagine a lot of folks will make the pilgrimage, if for no other reason than to check out the new venue. And, quite frankly, many had stopped attending Hamvention in years past as they were put off by the conditions at the former venue, the deteriorating Hara Arena.

Expect photos!

We have a number of volunteers at our booth this year (table number 6508), so I’ll hopefully have plenty of time to browse both the inside exhibits and the flea market area during slow periods.

As in years past, I’ll plan to take lots of photos, too! I’ll do my best to try to capture the layout and feel of the new venue.

Universal Radio’s booth at the 2016 Hamvention.

On that note–though I can’t promise I can follow through–are there any vendors or products in particular that you’d like me to include in the photos? If so, please comment!

So far on my bucket list:

visit Icom booth and check out their new receivers (the IC-R8600 and IC-R30)
visit Universal Radio’s booth and see if CommRadio has an update on the CTX-10
check out the new Kenwood HT–the TH-D74A–which includes a full-function wideband receiver
see if Palstar is any closer to releasing the TR-30A–a transceiver they announced at the 2013 Hamvention
check out Elad’s booth and ask about the new FDM-S3 SDR
look for any other SDR/QRP and transceiver innovators

I’ll plan to post photos during the Hamvention, of course, but I doubt I’ll be able to include much commentary as I typically have very little free time.

I spotted this Hallicrafters Super Skyrider in the 2013 Hamvention flea market. She would look quite good in my radio room!

I’ll do my best to avoid bringing home any new-to-me vintage gear. Seriously. Wish me luck!

Again, if you’re also attending the Hamvention, why not stop by booth 6508 and introduce yourself!?!

I’ll also attend the Four Days In May QRP conference Thursday and Friday evenings–I should be wearing a name tag, so please introduce yourself if you bump into me there.

If you’d like to keep up with Hamvention posts, simply follow/bookmark the tag: 2017 Hamvention.

What are your favorite radio apps?

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been browsing the Google Play store this morning in search of an Android app that would help one of our readers decode HF digital modes.

I suggested Tivar, which is essentially FLdigi for Android devices. The app was originally created by Dave (W1HKJ) and published on Google Play by Stephen Cooper. According to the description, the app does not have a dedicated developer, but based on reviews, it seems to work for many.

I assume this is the best (or only?) app for decoding broadcasts like the VOA Radiogram, DigiDX, etc?

Searching Google Play–and noticing a number of new apps–made me realize that it’s been a while since I’ve done a proper updated of my list of Android, iOS and Windows apps for radio enthusiasts.

What’s in your phone or tablet?

Post readers: I could use your help…

If you have a moment, please browse my list of apps and comment (on this post) with suggestions of any that you love, but I haven’t recommended.

I’ll check out each app and update the list accordingly over the next few weeks.

It would be very helpful if you note what you like about the app and if it’s available on multiple platforms (iOS, Android and/or Windows). I imagine there are many I’ve yet to check out!

Thank you in advance!

Interval Signal Ringtones for Android

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This morning, while browsing for an Android app, I noticed that SWLing Post contributor, Stephen Cooper, has published a simple app for adding interval signal ringtones to your Android device.

Interval Signal Ringtones appears to have a very simple interface and over 40 interval signals included. The price is very modest at $1.98.

Click here to view in the Google Play store.

Sale of Radio Australia site pushed before senate report

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Nigel Holmes, who writes:

ABC anxious to annihilate HF as soon as possible. (ABC is Broadcast Australia’s largest customer by far, BAs income from Auntie is the ABCs largest sink of funds after salaries – several hundred million bucks per year)

http://www.sheppnews.com.au/2017/05/11/88161/radio-australia-for-sale

Radio Australia for sale

For sale, one large semi-rural 229ha block. Key features include large-scale grazing potential, two irrigation channels and a shortwave antenna that can broadcast to all over the globe.

The former shortwave broadcasting station that for decades sent the Radio Australia broadcast around the world was quietly put on the market a couple of weeks ago.

[…]The sale could throw into jeopardy any move to restart shortwave broadcasting, as it is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the country.

South Australian NXT senator Nick Xenophon visited the site earlier in the year, and later introduced a bill to the senate to restart shortwave broadcasting.

The bill was sent to a senate inquiry and was due to report by August.

Former radio engineer at the site Gary Baker has been campaigning for the resumption of shortwave, and was not happy the site was on the market.

‘‘If the ABC has to start broadcasting internationally again this could cost taxpayers millions of dollars, which would be stupid,’’ Mr Baker said.

A sign in front of the property indicates that the closing date for expressions of interest in the property is in June.

Click here to read the full article at The Shepparton Times.

ACMA report on radio listening in remote Western Australia

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Image: ACMA

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Phil Brennan (VK8VWA), who shares the following:

I spotted this bit of research from the Australian Communications and Media Authority regarding radio listening habits of people living in remote Western Australia.

Click here to download report (PDF).

It shows that radio very much remains a big part of people’s lives in the bush, particularly AM radio. I’m sure these findings would be replicated in the Northern Territory where I live, but as you are only too aware, we’ve had our remote SW radio service axed by the ABC. Anyway, it may be of interest to you and your readers.

Thank you for the tip, Phil. This is a pretty fascinating report. As you mention, the use of AM radio is quite heavy–no doubt due to the vast broadcast footprint. It’s this sort of report that should have been done prior to any decision about axing ABC’s NT shortwave service.

Potomac Valley Radio Club (PVRC) and the US Naval Academy Radio Club to operate NSS special event May 13

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Photo: US Coast Guard

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Brian D. Smith, who writes:

Longtime SWLs will recall the repeating CW messages of Coast Guard station NSS and its distinctive “DAH-dit di-di-dit di-di-dit” ID.

There’s even a nostalgia page created in its honor: http://hawkins.pair.com/nss.shtml – along with a Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSS_Annapolis – and an online history: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/greenbury-point.htm – among other online references.

Unfortunately, like most other such CW stations of its day, NSS is gone forever … right? Wrong! Get this: NSS will return from the dead during Armed Forces Day crossband tests on May 13!

Here’s what the ARRL is reporting:

“The Potomac Valley Radio Club (PVRC) and the US Naval Academy Radio Club will operate NSS on the site of the 1918 Naval Radio Transmitting Station on Greenbury Point in Annapolis, Maryland, across the Severn River from the US Naval Academy.”

How cool is that?
http://www.arrl.org/news/armed-forces-day-crossband-military-amateur-radio-communications-test-is-may-13

So both hams and SWLs can obtain a QSL card from this ghost of a station. Personally, I’m thrilled with the news, because I was never able to get a QSL card from NSS or any similar station during my teenage years.

As far as I know, this is the first time NSS has been heard since … what, 1999? It certainly wasn’t on the air during last year’s Armed Forces Day radio event.

Wow–thank you for the tip, Brian! I, too, would love to snag an NSS QSL card!

On shortwave radio diversity reception

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, London Shortwave, who recently shared this post from the blog, Making It Up:

Shortwave Radio Diversity Reception

Shortwave radio diversity reception provides a way to combine several fluctuating signals and get a solid result. It provided the foundation for most radio news received in America for years.

During World War II, most countries around the world relied on Britain’s shortwave radio broadcasts for the latest news from Europe. In the days before transatlantic audio cables or satellites, distant news traveled fastest by radio. Networks in the America’s, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere re-broadcast shortwave radio news domestically.

Getting reliable, good quality audio programs over shortwave is always a challenge because of fading. As signals bounce off the ionosphere, they split over multiple paths. Often they fade and flutter, sometimes significantly, as the nature of the layers change with time. Here are several examples of shortwave signals fading, so you know what it sounds like. Skywave radio signals are subject to complex patterns of travel and interference.

Eventually, domestic networks found a clever way to get better audio from these distant signals.

[…]Diversity reception works like this. Instead of one signal, you monitor several signals at once and blend them together. Harold Beverage and RCA pioneered work on shortwave radio diversity reception in 1920’s. Commercial solutions arrived by 1933. Typically, you would use three receivers with three different antennas, spaced 1,000 feet apart. When antennas are widely spaced, signals arrive with different fading. Just combine the signals and let the strongest signal dominate. As long as the fading is not correlated across all three antennas, improvement can be significant.

Diversity reception can be achieved in several ways. The most popular – spatial diversity – is described above. Other methods include frequency diversity – mixing together the same program received on several different channels.[…]

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