QSO Today Interview with Bob Heil

Bob-HeilEric over at QSO Today has posted an interview with Bob Heil, the founder of Heil Sound, whose microphones have transformed both the amateur community and the professional recording industry (Heil Sound is the only technology company featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!)

The interview is about an hour and half long, and I was fascinated with every minute. In addition to talking about how Amateur Radio laid the foundation for his incredible career(s), Bob also talks about the need for Elmers in the hobby and the need to get hams building again. Along the way there are tips about audio for both transmitting and receiving, as well as a bit of discussion concerning the science of phasing – these alone are worth the price of admission!

Here is the info from the QSO Today site:

Bob Heil, K9EID, is no stranger to ham radio, as a pioneer in audio systems, not only for the rock and roll stars in the 60’s and 70’s, but for ham radio as well. As the founder of Heil Sound, Bob’s injection of audio experience and know how has raised the bar of what is acceptable for good sounding voice communications on amateur radio. Bob shares his ham radio story with Eric, 4Z1UG, on this episode of QSO Today.

Show Notes: http://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/k9eid

Podcast Link: http://goo.gl/ymGr6a

iTunes Store: http://goo.gl/CvLNmV

Stitcher: http://goo.gl/uhf1XZ

— 73, Robert

Robert Gulley, AK3Q, is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Robert also blogs at All Things Radio.

SRAA Recording: The Happy Station Show circa 1979

Crosley-Dial-BlackAndWhiteMany thanks to Shortwave Radio Audio Archive contributor, Richard Collings, who recently submitted this amazing off-air recording of the Happy Station Show. Richard notes:

The Happy Station Show of Sunday 23rd December 1979. A pre-recorded special Christmas show with Tom Meijer. Broadcast from 0930 to 1020GMT [on 9895 kHz and received in Plymouth, Devon, UK].

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Note that this is one of many archived off-air recordings found on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive.

Radio France to shut down mediumwave

La Masion de la Radio, Paris, France, (Photo source: Gérard Ducher via Wikimedia Commons).

La Masion de la Radio, Paris, France, (Photo source: Gérard Ducher via Wikimedia Commons).

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Marc, who shares this news from Radio France.

The article (in French) notes that as of midnight on December 31, 2015, Radio France will cease all mediumwave broadcasts permanently. Up to this point, Radio France’s mediumwave transmitters have broadcast France InfoFrance bleu RCFM and France Bleu Elsass.

The article notes that regions previously within the broadcast footprint of their mediumwave transmissions are now serviced via FM and/or online streaming.

Click here to read the article on Radio France’s website.

Pawel discovers a tuning bug in his Tecsun PL-880

PL-880 (1)

[19 January 2016: Please read this updated post.]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Pawel (SQ9ZAV), who writes from Poland:

Hello Thomas,

On November 4, 2015, I bought a Tecsun PL-880 from ErcomeR company.

I found an error: the last two digits of hundreds and tens Hz in SSB mode correctly change the direction of rotation of the knob fine tuning, however, the actual frequency varies in the opposite direction.

I reported a bug in the company ErcomeR, and they sent an e-mail to the Tecsun company.

ErcomeR received information from Tecsun that one of the PL-880 integrated circuits had been changed to the one used in Tecsun PL-365; no one checked whether the program was working properly.

The previous version of the radio made in May 2015 does not have this error.

Best regards – Pawel Kita, SQ9ZAV

Pawel also noted that communicating with Tecsun’s Engineering/R&D department is quite difficult since all communications are first passed through the Tecsun Sales department.

I hope that Pawel can keep us apprised of the situation. My Tecsun PL-880 is one of the earliest production runs, so doesn’t have the PL-365 IC Pawel describes.

If you purchased a Tecsun PL-880 recently, you might verify this as well–please comment.

From the Archives: Yes, there is a shortwave…!

Note: Jeff Murray and I posted this last Christmas–I thought it would be fun to dig it out of the archives for this Christmas as well.  Enjoy!


Virginia letter Dash

Dear Editor—

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no shortwave. Uncle DX Dash! says, “If you see it on the SWLing Post, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a shortwave?

Virginia E. Layer
330 Independence Ave., S.W.

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a digital age. They do not believe what can’t be heard or seen on their smart phone. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by Google. They seek credit cards, not QSL cards.

Yes, Virginia, there is a shortwave. It exists as certainly as sound and circuits and tubes exist, and you know that these abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no shortwave! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no heterodynes, no band openings, no propagation to make tolerable this existence. It would be a world without London Calling.

Not believe in shortwave! You might as well not believe in the ionosphere. You might get your papa to hire men to listen to all of the wi-fi radios of the world, but even if you did not hear shortwave, what would that prove? The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see ground waves dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can casually conceive or imagine all the wonders there are heard and unheard in the listening world. For that, you must wear headphones.

No shortwave! Thank goodness! It lives, and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, shortwave will continue to make glad the hearts of listeners.


Happy Holidays from your friends at Dashtoons and the SWLing Post!

With apologies to The New York Sun.  Our tongue-in-cheek editorial borrows from the timeless classic, “Is There a Santa Claus?” printed in the September 21, 1897, issue of The New York SunClick here to read the original

WRTH 2016: I’m glad I stopped by the post office

WRTH-2016

I just brought home my copy of WRTH 2016 from the post office. I didn’t expect it to arrive so soon from the UK, so I’m very much looking forward to reading through it over the next few days. It’s a special volume, too: WRTH’s 70th anniversary edition!

I’m also honored to have a feature article and two reviews in this particular edition.

You can order your copy from Amazon or Universal Radio here in the US, from Radio HF in Canada. Otherwise, consider ordering directly from WRTH online.

I’ll post an overview of WRTH 2016 in the coming days.

Make time for some holiday listening

Santa-Christmas-Radio

Remember that there are some unique broadcasts to tune to today and throughout the holidays. Here are a couple of note:

Of course, many of your favorite international broadcasters will also have holiday specials throughout the week.

If you like pirate radio listening, you’re in for a treat as well. Typically, there are numerous shortwave pirates on the air during the holidays–especially on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

What? You’ve never tuned in a pirate station before? There’s no better time than now to log that first pirate! Click here to learn how.

Did anyone hear the Grimeton VLF broadcast earlier today? Though it’s nearly an impossible catch for me State side, I still tried. Sadly, a long line of (unseasonal) thunderstorms moved into the region and I was forced to unplug my large external loop antenna in the wee hours of the morning.  I hope they had a successful broadcast.

100_5513

While we’re talking about radio and the holidays, I thought I’d also share this photo (above) that SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi sent in last week.

He and his wife made this cake for the annual office Christmas party. Mario comments:

“Since I am the ‘go to’ radio guy at work, we decorated the cake with various radio icons and slogans with the hope of putting smiles on everyone’s face.”

No doubt, your cake was a success!

Good cheer!

The SWLing Post has an international set of readers. While not everyone celebrates Christmas like my family, there seem to be many celebrations and festivals that happen this time of the year.

However you celebrate, here’s wishing you and yours the best of the season! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!