Radio Waves: Listeners Share LRA36 Recordings, CW Clock, Tabletop Radio, and Dropping AM in Cars

Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Adrian Korol, Richard Cuff, and Dennis Dura for the following tips:

Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel picked up around the world (Radio Nacional)

Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel broadcasts on the short wave on Wednesdays from 21 to 23 UTC and on Saturdays from 21 UTC until 03:00 on Sunday on frequency 15476 Khz (USB).

Due to improvements in the audio chain and transmission line and good propagation, we are receiving messages from listeners who had not been able to listen to it for decades and also reception reports from countries such as India, Iceland, Japan, United States, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and all the National territory.

During the summer we broadcast a program called “Uniendo Voces”, a production of the Joint Antarctic Command, the University of Quilmes and RAE, with the presentation of Juan Carlos Benavente.

We also share with you videos and posts in which listeners from around the world share their reception of LRA36. [Continue reading…]

Morse Code Clock For Training Hams (Hackaday)

It might seem antiquated, but Morse code still has a number of advantages compared to other modes of communication, especially over radio waves. It’s low bandwidth compared to voice or even text, and can be discerned against background noise even at extremely low signal strengths. Not every regulatory agency requires amateur operators to learn Morse any more, but for those that do it can be a challenge, so [Cristiano Monteiro] built this clock to help get some practice.

The project is based around his favorite microcontroller, the PIC16F1827, and uses a DS1307 to keep track of time. A single RGB LED at the top of the project enclosure flashes the codes for hours in blue and minutes in red at the beginning of every minute, and in between flashes green for each second. [Continue reading…]

The Changing Face of Tabletop Radios (Radio World)

While some still offer OTA reception, the specialty segment is dominated by online connectivity

There was a time, of course, when radios were fixtures in people’s homes. But according to Edison Research’s “Infinite Dial 2022” report, the percentage of U.S. homes with “zero” radios inside went from 4% in 2008 to 39% in 2022.

Among the radios that remain, clock and emergency radios have the best chances of justifying their presence to internet-centric consumers. But good ol’ fashioned tabletop radios? AM/FM receivers housed in eye-appealing laminated wood cases with big speakers and hefty knobs?

Mass-market companies such as Panasonic and Sony have abandoned such products. But specialty/quality brands such as C. Crane, Grace Digital, Sangean and Tivoli Audio have not.

These brands bring fresh approaches to the tabletop radio segment through innovation and the harnessing of streaming technology. Still, it’s an uphill battle in a world obsessed with all things internet.

There are several reasons conventional AM/FM tabletop radios have been disappearing from homes.

The first and most obvious is that even by the beginning of this century, radio had long ceased being a destination medium around which the family gathered to listen. In recent decades, the more common uses were morning wakeups, rush-hour commutes, sports on the go and weather emergencies, all well-served by portable radios, though there was still some degree of at-home listening. [Continue reading…]

Who Benefits By Removing AM From Cars? (Radio World)

Three perspectives on this hot potato threat

Car manufacturers claim they cannot suppress noise getting into the AM signals in their electric vehicles. This article presents the viewpoint of three people who beg to disagree.

Tom King, the chairman of Kintronic Labs Inc., is an expert on AM transmission and noise interference. His company manufactures most of the phasing cabinets for directional arrays on AM stations around the world. Continue reading →

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Chuck Rippel “Sweetens the deal” on The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge!

by Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

After yesterday’s post appeared, Chuck Rippel reached out to me and offered:

To whomever logs the most stations using a GE SR-I or SR-II, I will donate that person, a >free< SR-I or SR-II restoration. Includes, parts, alignment, cleaning, etc…. The winner’s only cost will be shipping. Should the winner already have a radio I restored, I have an alternate “reward” in mind.

That is a very generous offer, Chuck, and I am sure someone will be the delighted recipient.

In the meantime, there is a very slight modification to the procedure for the challenge: I will be posting a reminder about The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge on Friday, and then on Saturday, I will post another The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge blog. That Saturday blog will be the place to post your results in The Challenge . . . .in the Comments section.

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“Tea With the Queen”

The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

First a word of acknowledgement and thanks: it was Chuck Rippel who said (in part) — in response to this post — “We could make this interesting by restricting listening to the period 10AM – 2PM maybe 3PM.” And that got me to thinking that maybe a daylight DXing challenge might be fun.

It was Bill Hemphill, who said, responding to the same blog post:

“Every year the New Jersey Antique Radio Club has a BCB DX contest for its club members. The main purpose is to encourage the members to put into operation some of the many old am radios that they own. This year’s contest was just completed this past Sunday. For any 24 hour period, using the same radio, you attempt to log the most distant stations. The contest score is the total mileage of the ten stations that are most distant.”

Reading that, I rather liked the idea of using mileage as one way to keep score.

Combining the two ideas, the result is The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge.

Here are the rules:

Frequency rang is the medium wave band: 520-1710 kHz
10 am to 2 pm your local time on the Saturday after the post appears (Saturday, March 11, 2023).
Any radio with any antenna, but must be the radio at your location (no using remote internet radios)
The listener must hear the signal in real time
The stations must be ID’ed by listening to the signal.
Your report should include:
- Your name (or Internet handle)
- Your receiver and antenna (stay with the same setup from beginning to end; if you use multiple setups, provide a separate report for each).
- Your location
- The time, the frequency, and the ID of each station heard
- The total mileage of your top five most distant stations.

A final point: this is not a contest; it is a challenge. The reward for every participant will be fun and fellowship.

UPDATE: Chuck Rippel did sweeten the pot, though! Check out his generous offer here.

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Guest Post: Listening to LRA 36

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who shares the following guest post:

Listening to LRA 36

by TomL

I finally had time to go outdoors to listen to LRA 36, Antarctica. People were gushing about how well it is being received. My location was a park across the street from the Forest Preserve I usually go to (the Forest Preserves are shutdown and gates locked after sundown). Even though it was after sunset, this Park has no gate or chain to prevent people from parking there. In the dark, I setup the trusty amplified Loop-on-Ground antenna, SDR, and laptop. Solar Flux Index about 179, K index 2.

Started recording and, NOTHING! ARRGH. But I had just heard it at home in the noise!?!? Waited about two minutes and all of a sudden music started playing in the middle of a song. S6 – S7 strength with lots of fading. Very cool. 20 minutes later, went off the air. Then 10 minutes later, came back on again in the middle of another song. They must be tweaking the transmitter. This feels like the 10 kW transmitter; no way could a 1.5 kW be this loud over 12000 kilometers! Also, an advantage with IQ recording of a spectrum is I could tune into it later. Good thing because between their tweaking the transmitter, my SDR, and the crazy propagation, I had to tune to 15475.983 kHz in order to get the USB signal perfectly in pitch.

For your listening enjoyment if you have not had a chance to hear it clearly, I have uploaded both recordings to archive.org where you can listen as long as you want. Worth listening to, playing music of Argentina music bands. Happy Listening! Here is the link to Archive.org and the audio files are also embedded below:

LRA 36 at 00:30 UTC on 05 March 2023:

LRA 36 at 01:00 UTC on 05 March 2023:

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March 2023 Program Schedule for Texas Radio Shortwave

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Many thanks to Texas Radio Shortwave contributor, Terry Colgan (N5RTC), who shares the following March 2023 schedule for Texas Radio Shortwave:

This schedule is subject to change without notice.

If you use this information, please credit Texas Radio Shortwave as the source. Thank you.

In addition to these scheduled broadcasts, WRMI may air TRSW programs on unannounced dates, times, and frequencies. WRMI is located in Okeechobee, Florida, USA.

Target Areas: 5950 kHz = North America. 15770 kHz = Europe, North Africa, Middle East.

Program Code

Prime New one-hour program featuring Texas artists and songs about Texas.

Special New one-hour program featuring Texas artists and songs about Texas produced for a special occasion or a program used to enhance the schedule. On Stage New one-hour program featuring performances at Texas music venues, usually by Texas artists.

Retrospective New one-hour program featuring episodes of old-time radio and old programs from Rock-it Radio, BBC, and Oldies Project.

Encore Previously-aired TRSW program.

Texas Radio Shortwave is an independent producer of music and topical shows broadcast by commercial shortwave station WRMI. Texas Radio Shortwave’s studio is in far South Texas, in Port Isabel on the Gulf of Mexico.

Texas Radio Shortwave uses a version of The Yellow Rose of Texas as its Interval Signal/Signature Song. Texas Radio Shortwave verifies correct, detailed reception reports by eQSL.

Texas Radio Shortwave’s Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/texasradiosw.

Texas Radio Shortwave’s Listeners’ Group Facebook page is http//www.facebook.com/groups/580199276066655/. Texas Radio Shortwave’s programs are available for listening on Mixcloud at http://www.mixcloud.com/texasradiosw. Texas Radio Shortwave’s email address is [email protected].

March Monthly QSL

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Still time to register today: 36th Annual (Virtual) Winter SWL Fest this weekend!

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If you’ve thought about attending the annual Winter SWL Fest, but found it difficult to make the travel arrangements, this year you can once again get a taste of the Fest by attending virtually.

You’ll find the program below, but click here to view it at the Winter SWL Fest site, and click here to register (only $5 for both days including all presentations and the hospitality room).

PLEASE NOTE: You must register for the Winter SWL Fest by 11:00 PM (EST) today (Friday, March 3, 2023). They will not process registrations after this deadline.

The presentations start tomorrow: Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 09:00 EST. There’s also a social gathering tonight at 20:00 EST. I strongly encourage you to attend! I’m looking forward to it!

Check out the full schedule below:

2023 36th Winter SWL Fest Program and Forums Schedule

This year’s Fest will once again be held in virtual space rather than physical space. Details about how to register and use the Zoom platform are here.

All sessions except the “Shindig” nominally one-hour except where noted, but may run longer or shorter at the option of the presenter.

“The Bob Brown Memorial Hospitality Suite”* — A virtual hospitality room, sponsored by the Canadian International DX Club (CIDX) will open at 2000 EST Friday, March 3 and 0800 EST Saturday, March 4 and remain available on Friday night and Saturday over the course of the event. Announcements and instructions will be provided along the way.

CIDX also has plans on Saturday to activate the CIDX club ham stations VE2AQP in Montreal (Gilles Letourneau will be the operator), and VE6SWL in Sherwood Park, Alberta (Mickey Delmage will be the operator). Times and frequencies will be announced.

As far as we can tell, this is the final schedule.

FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 2022 (All times North American Eastern Standard)

2000 – WINTERFEST ICEBREAKER PARTY – Spend some time in the The Bob Brown Memorial Hospitality “Suite”! Meet up with old friends and make some new ones — virtually and across all borders. This event will continue until everyone’s energy and interest runs out. (Instructions on how to join the conversation(s) will be provided to registrants.) [0100 UTC (Sat.)/1700 PST/0200 CET (Sat.)/1200 (Sat.) AEDT)]

SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2022

0930 – KEYNOTE – JEFF WHITE: The General Manager of WRMI, Radio Miami International — which has the largest private shortwave transmitting facility in the Western Hemisphere in Okeechobee Florida — will discuss the ins and outs of operating the station, including its recent experiences with hurricanes. Jeff also wears other hats including Secretary-Treasurer of the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters and Chairman of the High Frequency Coordination Conference. That and over 40 years’ involvement in myriad aspects of shortwave and international broadcasting give him a deep and unique perspective on where all of this might be going. [1430 UTC/0630 PST/1530 CET/0130 (Sun.) AEDT)]

1030 – SCANNER NOT REQUIRED: Tom Swisher says it doesn’t have to be a scanner! There are excellent alternatives if you’re looking for other ways to monitor your favorite McDonald’s drive-through. [1530 UTC/0730 PST/1630 CET/0230 (Sun.) AEDT)]

1130 – BREAK: Spend some time in the The Bob Brown Memorial Hospitality “Suite”. [1630 UTC/0830 PST/1730 CET/0330 (Sun.) AEDT)]

1300 – CHOOSING A USED RECEIVER FROM 1950 THROUGH TODAY: We’re not cheap, just cost conscious. Old Uncle Skip Arey will scour his sources to find the best (and safest) ways to buy used radios regardless of whether you are looking for a collectible or a modern listening tool. [1800 UTC/1000 PST/1900 CET/0500 (Sun.) AEDT)]

1430 – RADIO IS SUPPOSED TO BE FREE: Mysterious signals that go bump in the night. Odd sounds on odd frequencies in the middle of the afternoon. AM signals with very wide full fidelity bandwidth. Distorted sideband transmissions playing strange music and making weird images appear on their listeners’ software defined radio displays. Welcome to the world of unlicensed free radio on shortwave. Larry Will presents a little bit of history and look at the current state of shortwave pirate radio in North America. And there may be some special guest personalities sharing their perspectives on free radio. [1930 UTC/1130 PST/2030 CET/0630 (Sun.) AEDT)]

1600 – BACK TO THE CLASSICS II: Dan Robinson has spent the months since the last online Fest doing some more thinking about. . .what else? . . . receivers and features that make them stand out from the crowd, and will file his special report from his basement in Potomac, MD. [2100 UTC/1300 PST/2200 CET/0800 (Sun.) AEDT)]

1700 – HELP US PLAN FUTURE FESTS: Join Rich and John (um… your hosts, remember?) to discuss whether and how best to resume an in-person event as well as how the online version might continue and improve. [2200 UTC/1400 PST/2300 CET/0900 (Sun.) AEDT)]

1730 – BREAK – Spend some time in The Bob Brown Memorial Hospitality “Suite”. [2230 UTC/1430 PST/2330 CET/0930 (Sun.) AEDT)]

1900 – IN MEMORIUM: Sheldon Harvey recounts those that moved on over the past year to that DX shack in the sky where propagation is always perfect and RF noise doesn’t exist. [0000 UTC (Sun.)/1600 PST/0100 CET (Sun.)/1100 (Sun.) AEDT)]

1930 – “YUM CHA, DIM SUM OR RIJSTTAFEL?” – Mark Fahey with an exploration of the joy of being a broadcasting enthusiast living in an equatorial jungle. [0030 UTC (Sun.)/1630 PST/0130 CET (Sun.)/1130 (Sun.) AEDT)]

2100 – THE SHORTWAVE SHINDIG – STILL IN EXILE: Your host, David Goren, is whuppin’ up another multi-hour listening party with plenty of shortwave sounds, music, special guests, updates on NYC pirate radio, and the latest installment of World Wide Waves, dg’s BBC radio doc series on global community radio this year featuring Inuit radio in Northern Quebec, a Romani radio station in Hungary, a rural station in Malawi and a clandestine in Myanmar. [0200 UTC (Sun.)/1800 PST/0300 CET (Sun.)/1300 (Sun.) AEDT)]

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