Shortwave listening and everything radio including reviews, broadcasting, ham radio, field operation, DXing, maker kits, travel, emergency gear, events, and more
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John, who writes:
The video below started with a curious investigation of a mysterious button found on 1980/90 era cassette recorders…. just to end up as being essential knowledge that we probably never had back on the day during our listening sessions.
I think the blog readers will love the most recent video from VWestlife:
The prized retro audio components are mostly manufactured in Russia and China. Now, a small Georgia company is rebooting US production.
ROSSVILLE, GEORGIA, ON the border with Tennessee, doesn’t look like a tech town. It’s the kind of place where homey restaurants promising succulent fried chicken and sweet tea are tucked among shuttered businesses and prosperous liquor stores. The cost of living is moderate, crime is high, politics are red, and the population has withered to 3,980.
But in the view of entrepreneur Charles Whitener, Rossville is the perfect place to stage a revival in US technology and manufacturing—albeit with a device that was cutting edge when the Ford Model A ruled the roads.
Whitener owns Western Electric, the last US manufacturer of vacuum tubes, those glass and metal bulbs that controlled current in electric circuits before the advent of the transistor made them largely obsolete. Tubes are still prized for high-end hi-fi equipment and by music gear companies such as Fender for their distinctive sound. But most of the world’s supply comes from manufacturers in Russia and China, which after the transistor era began in earnest in the 1960s helped sunset the US vacuum tube industry by driving down prices.
Whitener, a 69-year-old self-described inventor, vintage hi-fi collector, and Led Zeppelin fanatic, bought and revived AT&T’s shuttered vacuum tube business in 1995. The business has ticked along in the era of cheap overseas tubes primarily by serving the small market for vacuum tubes in premium hi-fi equipment with a model called the 300B, originally designed in 1938 to enable transoceanic phone calls. [Continue reading…]
100 years is an incredible milestone for any business or organization! In this Valley PBS Original Documentary, we take you back in time as we explore the origins of KMJ as a conservative talk radio station as well as the long-lasting legacy and impact of their century-long run on the air and in the hearts & minds of their listeners.
Many still rely on radio broadcasts for news, entertainment across continent
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Just the size of his hand, the radio set hung in the busy marketplace stall is essential to Mark Nyabanda.
“I can’t do without it,” said the 25-year old, taking a break from selling fertilizer in Mbare market in the capital, Harare, to listen to a radio weather report warning of possible floods.
Radio bulletins also provide him with information on disease outbreaks, political news and entertainment, he said.
“I don’t trust these new technologies,” he said, referring to social media. “They are full of falsehoods. We saw it during the coronavirus outbreak.”
In many Western countries, conventional radio has been overtaken by streaming, podcasts and on-demand content accessed via smartphones and computers.
But in many of Africa’s 54 countries, with a combined population of 1.3 billion people, traditional radio sets are widely used, highlighting the digital divide between rich countries and those still struggling to have reliable internet.
Radio sets are all over the place in Zimbabwe. Rural livestock herders dangle them from their necks while tending animals while those in the cities listen to their radio sets for news. [Continue reading…]
I am sharing an email I received from Jeorg at Klingenfuss.org regarding increased solar propagation and the threat to satellite and wired communications in times of war. For those who may not know, Klingenfuss aggregates utility, shortwave, military and other HF frequency lists in book and CD form. I received this email as a customer having purchased their latest “Super CD” earlier this year. I am not affiliated with them other than as a customer, and this email did not come to me as a sales pitch. I do however think their software is a good value for the money. for what that may be worth! – Robert, K4PKM
Dear friends,
solar activity is increasing rapidly and provides excellent HF
propagation conditions on frequencies above 20 MHz as well. Sunspot
numbers have ramped up pretty fast: in February 2023, the NOAA number
already reached more than 200 – while the maximum of the current
solar cycle 25 is expected not before mid-2025! See our screenshot of
2 April 2023 at
www.klingenfuss.org/kiwikiwi.gif
In these times of war, remember the key fact: shortwave = HF is the
only medium for inter-national and inter-continental communication
that, unlike e.g. SATCOM, landline connections, and submarine cables,
cannot be blocked, censored, or cut off. What’s more, there are no
call costs or monthly fees.
Increased vulnerabilities to cyber and SATCOM – coupled with state-of-
the-art HF communications capability and capacity – is making
military services worldwide rethink their communications planning.
Grazing the rich pastures of the interwebz I just stumbled upon this short documentary made by students of the School of Visual and Media Arts program at the University of Montana. It aired on Montana PBS in November 2022 and was uploaded to YouTube 2 weeks ago.
I like the modern style of this work, letting the images and the people in them speak for themselves, and radiate their fascination with the hobby. Enjoy!
RTÉ has announced that it is ceasing the long wave 252 service for Radio 1 from next month.
The move was originally announced in 2014 but was postponed because of protests from Irish organisations in Britain.
RTÉ said in a statement that the LW 252 is no longer sustainable as the transmitter in Summerhill, Co Meath uses up 2.5% of the organisation’s energy use.
The current cost is €250,000 a year and this could rise to £400,000 next year, it says.
When the move was announced originally there were complaints from Irish people in Britain, particularly the elderly, who would no longer be able to get RTÉ Radio 1 on their transistor radios.
The closure was deferred – initially for three years – but the long wave service will now end on Friday 14 April.
However Radio 1 will be available in Britain to listeners on Freestat (channel 750), Sky (channel 0160) and Virgin Media (channel 917).
It will also be available on streaming devices including RTÉ Radio Player and Irish Radio player apps.
In Ireland it will continue to be available on FM as well as through TV channels and online. [Continue reading at RTÉ…]
RTÉ Radio 1 will cease broadcasting on Long Wave 252 from Friday 14th April 2023.
The station continues to broadcast on FM, on Saorview and Saorsat, along with RTÉ Radio Player and Irish Radioplayer apps.
In the UK, Radio 1 will still be available on Freesat, Sky, and Virgin Media, along with online streaming services such as smart speakers.
The phasing out and closure of the Long Wave service was one of the recommendations of the Future of Media Commission Report which was published by the Government in July 2022. This was part of a wider recommendation aimed at ensuring RTÉ could invest available resources in innovation and digital services. [Continue reading at Radio Today…]
Hi SWLing Post community Fastradioburst23 here letting you know about a transmission of The Shortwave Music Library this Sunday 2nd April 2023 at 2200 UTC on 9395 kHz via WRMI. DJ Frederick will be searching deep into his record collection to bring you some classic pop & library music. Expect some great tunes as always.
Spread the radio love
Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! Thank you!