From the Isle of Music, Week of February 20-25, 2017

The new Elad FDM-S3 SDR: screenshot of the entire FM broadcast band

Click to enlarge.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rafman, who shares this tip via the Elad Yahoo Group where Elad engineer Franco writes:

Today I can show new hardware capabilities of FDM-S3:

24.576 MHz I/Q stream and you can see the whole 88-108MHz FM Band sampled.

The FDM-S3 is equipped of USB-3 controller…

Here a screenshot:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uxlfi…/FDM-S3_FM_BAND_24MHZ_1.png
new info will come in next weeks.

73, Franco IU3ADL

Wow–the entire FM broadcast band! I bet recording that would burn through a 1 TB hard drive in no time! Can’t wait to try it!

As SWLing Post readers know, I love the FDM-S2. Very happy to hear the FDM-S3 is in the works.

We’ll post updates from Elad as they’re released. Follow the tag: FDM-S3

HAARP February 2017 on air operations

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Many thanks to Chris Fallen (KL3WX), Assistant research professor in the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical – Space Physics group , who shares the following update in reference to upcoming HAARP activities:

Regarding this February 2017 campaign, HAARP will be operating from 19 to 22 February.

Specifically, experiments will begin daily sometime after 1800 hours 2/19 UTC. My experiments will be the last each day (local Alaska time) and are scheduled to start at 0330 hours on 2/20, 2/21, and 2/23 UTC; and at 0430 hours on 2/22.

Experiment times and frequencies are subject to change for various reasons, particularly in response to ionospheric conditions shortly before each experiment.

I will do my best to update https://twitter.com/ctfallen in real time.

Operations are very active times and I will be monitoring conditions and equipment so generally speaking, for my artificial aurora experiments, your best bet is to search around 2.7 MHz +/- 100 kHz given current conditions.

For the Luxembourg effect experiments, I will try to keep the two frequencies separated by about 1 MHz, which means that they will occur earlier in my experiment window rather than later, when the ionosphere is more dense.

Many thanks for the update, Chris.

SWLing Post readers viewing our website should find your Twitter feed embedded below. Those reading via RSS or our Feedburner email feed, can click here to view updates on Twitter.

Tweets by ctfallen

Shortwave Relays This Weekend

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(Source: Tom Taylor)

Hamurger Lokal Radio via Shortwave Station Göhren, Germany with 1KW to Western Europe:
6190 KHz Every Saturday 07.00 to 11.00 UTC
7265 KHz Every Saturday 11.00 to 16.00 UTC
9485 KHz Every Sunday 10.00 to 13.00 UTC
Contact email: [email protected]

Radio City via:
IRRS to Europe on 7290 KHz (every 3rd Friday) between 19.00 to 20.00 UTC
IRRS to Europe on 9510 KHz (every Saturday) between 09.00 to 10.00 UTC
Challenger Radio to Northern Italy on 1368 KHz every Saturdays from 20.00 UTC onwards
Contact email: [email protected]

European Music Radio Transmissions via;
WBCQ to Central & North America on 5130 KHz on 18th February between 23.00 to 00.00 UTC
Shortwave Station Göhren on 9485 KHz on 19th February between 09.00 to 10.00 UTC
Channel 292 on 6070 KHz on 19th February between 16.00 to 17.00 UTC
Contact email: [email protected]

Internet Repeats on 19th February 2017:
EMR will repeat this months Transmissions via two streams running at the following Times:16.00, 18.00, 20.00 UTC
http://nednl.net:8000/emr.m3u will be on 96 kbps /44 KHz stereo for normal listening
http://nednl.net:8000/emr24.m3u will be 24 kbps / 22 KHz mono will be especially for low bandwidth like mobile phones.

KBC via:
Media Broadcast to America on 6145 KHz Every Sunday between 00.00 to 01.00
Contact email: [email protected]

Hobart Radio via:
Channel 292 to Western Europe on 6070 KHz Saturdays fortnightly between 09.00 to 09.30 UTC next airings: 21st Jan and 4th February.
WRMI to Americas, Asia/Pacific on 9955 KHz Sunday between 04.30 to 05.00 UTC
WRMI to Americas, Asia/Pacific on 9955 KHz Tuesday between 23.30 to 00.00 UTC
WBCQ to North America on 5130 KHz Mondays 04.30 to 05.00 UTC
Contact email: [email protected]

For outside the listening area please try the Twente/Netherlands Web RX at http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/

You can also hear many European free and alternative stations via the Internet at: http://laut.fm/jukebox

Radio Channel 292 Transmission schedules on 6070 KHz (on the air every day):
http://www.channel292.de/schedule-for-bookings/

Radio Mi Amigo Transmission schedules:
http://www.radiomiamigo.es/shortwave

Eric spots a Drake SPR-4 shortwave receiver on eBay

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Eric McFadden (WD8RIF), who is quite a Drake fan and recently spotted this SPR-4 on eBay.

The seller has it listed as an auction currently at $400, but with a BuyItNow price of $600 US. That’s a fairly steep price considering Universal Radio has sold them in the past for +/- $400. Of course, the last one in Universal’s sold index was posted in 2011.

I’ve never owned a Drake receiver, but I’ve certainly used them and have been impressed with their performance and audio fidelity. SPF-4 reviews on eHam are certainly positive.

Image source: Universal Radio

I know this: I love the blue backlit dials on this particular Drake line! Gorgeous!

Click here to view on eBay.

Hans discovers a JRC NRD-630 on eBay

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Hans de Zeeuw (MM6HDZ), who writes:

Hi, Thomas here’s a message from bonny Scotland:

Yesterday I found at eBay a JRC NRD-630 receiver for auction. The receiver is located in London, UK and the seller ships worldwide:

Click here to view on eBay.

An opportunity for people who are looking for this very rare receiver.

This is just the sort of receiver Dan Robinson could have in his collection! Looks like the NRD-630 might fetch a hefty price at auction, but I wonder if it’ll exceed the original price (which I’m sure was also hefty!)?

Thanks, Hans.

Any Post readers own the JRC NRD-630? Please comment!

Activating mobile phone FM: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s remarks at NAB symposium

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Aaron Kuhn, who shares the following:

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s remarks at the North American Broadcasters Association’s Future of Radio and Audio Symposium from today have been posted at

http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0216/DOC-343529A1.pdf

I found the most interesting info in the statement is only 44% of the top selling smartphones in the US have an FM Chip activated have them activated. This figure pales in comparison to Mexico, where 80% of the top selling smartphones have the FM Radio chip activated.

Chair Pai goes on to state:

“You could make a case for activating chips on public safety grounds alone. The former head of our Federal Emergency Management Administration has spoken out in support of this proposal.

[…]I’ll keep speaking out about the benefits of activating FM chips. Having said that, as a believer in free markets and the rule of law, I cannot support a government mandate requiring activation of these chips. I don’t believe the FCC has the power to issue a mandate like that, and more generally I believe it’s best to sort this issue out in the marketplace. For despite the low numbers, we are seeing progress; in the last two years, the percentage of top-selling smartphones in the United States that have activated FM chips has risen from less than 25% to 44%. “

Which leads me to this question for the SWLing Post community: would the benefits, emergency and otherwise, of mandated, activated FM Receiver Chips in new Smartphones sold outweigh the free market arguments?

Feel free to share your comments!

Please note: our SWLing Post comment moderators keep this site a safe haven from partisan politics–after all, we’re here to talk and play radio! Sometimes, however, local/international politics and radio intersect, but please leave partisan discussions or any animosity for specific politicians for a political site. 🙂