Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, for sharing Alan Roe’s excellent guide to music broadcasts on shortwave radio.
Alan Roe (who happens to be an avid SWLing Post reader!) has generously given me permission to post his guide here as a free (PDF) download. Thank you so much, Alan! I’ve already printed this guide and placed it with my WRTH and WWLG.
Click here to download Alan Roe’s guide to music on shortwave (PDF).
My buddy, Jeff MacMahon, over the Herculodge, forwarded the following message from his reader, Val:
[P]robably some people who are still interested in AM radio will be surprised to see pictures of the Sony SRF-59.
[The] Sony SRF-39FR is an excellent receiver made special for Federal Prison in US.
It is an incredibly sensitive and selective receiver able to pick up every AM frequency.
Somewhere on the Internet, I found a picture of the SRF-59 [which implied that it had the] same circuitry as the Sony SRF-39FR.
I bought SRF-59 from Source Electronic to compare two radios. I was so disappointed after testing the SRF-59.
It is absolutely a different receiver compared with the SRF-39FP. It doesn’t stay close for performance. I opened it (see photo above) and (surprise!) it was missing a few capacitors…What a shame….
Thanks for sharing this, Val.
My advice? Don’t throw the SRF-59 away yet, Val! While it isn’t quite on par with the SRF-39FP, it is still quite an amazing MW DX ultralight.
I would suggest that you check out Dave Richard’s blog where he details how to tweak the SRF-59 for top performace. Dave’s article includes excellent detail and great photos. Click here to view.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes:
Barlow Wadley’s show up every now and then on Ebay, but infrequently with the original papers.
Rarely, one sees them with the original box. These are great representatives of SW radio history, though you have to take care to ask question of the seller.
This price appears to be quite high (roughly $490 US), especially for a radio without the FM band, which was added in later production runs:
Thanks, Dan! Someone brought one of these to the SWL Fest some years ago and it attracted quite a crowd. I’ve never had one on the air, though–very curious how well they perform.
Are there any SWLing Post readers who own the Barlow Wadley XCR-30? Please comment!
Speaking of backpacks and protective cases for radios, SWLing Post reader, JC, recommends an inexpensive tactical shoulder pack available via eBay.
JC writes:
I tend to want a little more protection and space so I use a tactical military type shoulder bag for my portable radio kit. It hangs nicely off the back of the passenger’s seat in my car and allows me to keep my PL-660, spare batteries, portable wire antenna, earphones, frequency lists, and other gear all together in a handy pack.
JC’s shoulder pack
The price is about $13.60 w/ free shipping. It’s a great bag for my portable kit, and it’s built pretty sturdy. Any extra protection is better than none for a radio used out in the field.
Thanks for the recommendation! That is incredibly affordable and a great looking bag.
I’m very partial to Spec Ops Brand packs, but they’re quite pricey in comparison.
While quite out of my price range, this is a beautiful piece of radio art nevertheless. (I recommend viewing the close-ups on the listing to really see it.) The receiver/amplifier has Broadcast, Long Wave, Short Wave plus FM, and the ability to reproduce beautiful stereo for its time, according to user reports.These were produced during the mid-sixties until 1970. I miss the artwork involved in many older radios as compared to today’s utilitarian radios. We may have better components and features, but we do not have the beauty or style in many cases.
I’ll be watching with interest to see how this auction ends!
Robert Gulley, AK3Q, is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Robert also blogs at All Things Radio.
Jagadish Chandra Bose in Royal Institution, London
Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, A Black, for sharing the following article from the excellent Hackaday blog:
J.C. BOSE AND THE INVENTION OF RADIO
The early days of electricity appear to have been a cutthroat time. While academics were busy uncovering the mysteries of electromagnetism, bands of entrepreneurs were waiting to pounce on the pure science and engineer solutions to problems that didn’t even exist yet, but could no doubt turn into profitable ventures. We’ve all heard of the epic battles between Edison and Tesla and Westinghouse, and even with the benefit of more than a century of hindsight it’s hard to tell who did what to whom. But another conflict was brewing at the turn of 19th century, this time between an Indian polymath and an Italian nobleman, and it would determine who got credit for laying the foundations for the key technology of the 20th century – radio.
Appointment and Disappointment
In 1885, a 27-year old Jagadish Chandra Bose returned to his native India from England, where he had been studying natural science at Cambridge. Originally sent there to study medicine, Bose had withdrawn due to ill-health exacerbated by the disagreeable aroma of the dissection rooms. Instead, Bose returned with a collection of degrees in multiple disciplines and a letter of introduction that prompted the Viceroy of India to request an appointment for him at Presidency College in Kolkata (Calcutta). One did not refuse a viceroy’s request, and despite protests by the college administration, Bose was appointed professor of physics.
Noted DXer and South American radio enthusiast Don Moore (USA) is travelling again and posting fascinating photos & commentary of DXing and life in Colombia.
Don mentions:
The focus is MW. My postings include photos and local recordings of stations from southernmost Colombia including the cities of Pasto and Popayan. I’m currently in Cali (the third largest city) for two weeks. I’ll also get a complete band scan completed in the next few days.
His current journal entries, photos, and DX clips are on his web site.
Be sure and check out Don’s extensive coverage of the Central and South American radio scene, and coverage of his previous travels at http://www.pateplumaradio.com
Guy Atkins is a Sr. Graphic Designer for T-Mobile and lives near Seattle, Washington. He’s a regular contributor to the SWLing Post.