Tag Archives: Guest Posts

Simple Wire Antenna: Giuseppe’s Mediumwave DXing Adventures from the Tyrrhenian Sea

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè (IZ0GZW), who writes:

Dear Thomas and Friends of SWLing Post,

I am Giuseppe Morlè from Formia, Central Italy, on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

This time, I want to share a very simple antenna setup for listening to and attempting extreme DX on Medium Waves.

I first saw this antenna in several videos, and many DXers have used it during various expeditions.

For my setup, I used a 15-meter-long wire. At around 11 meters, I formed a small coil with 8 turns, then continued the wire for another 3 meters.

I began with some tests on my balcony by laying the wire flat along the ground for its entire length. I used my small Sony SRF-37V as a receiver. By placing the receiver within the coil of turns, I immediately noticed a significant difference compared to the built-in ferrite antenna.

In the early afternoon, I tuned into a Chinese language broadcast on 1377 kHz. You can watch a video of this experiment on my YouTube channel:

Encouraged by the excellent results, I decided to head to the tourist port of Caposele di Formia the next day in the early afternoon. I set up on the pier overlooking the sea. This time, I laid the wire in an eastward direction — towards the night, where the sun had already set, while it was still high for another two hours on my side.

Once again, I achieved amazing results.

I was able to hear the same Chinese station on 1377 kHz, but this time with much clearer audio than from my balcony, where electrical noise interfered. By the sea, the signal was clean and strong.

After a while, I tuned into VOA broadcasts from Thailand on 1575 and 1395 kHz, both with surprisingly good audio quality. You can see this second experiment here:

Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of wire and a small coil to create an excellent, ground-level antenna — in this case, oriented eastward.

I also tried using my loop cassette and a Tecsun PL-660 but couldn’t hear anything. Yet the little Sony SRF-37V proved itself to be a true “DX killer” on AM — truly impressive.

I even caught a segment of the VOA program “World Today,” discussing the Chinese economy and Southeast Asia.

As the sun set, the DX signals faded, making way for closer European and Asian broadcasters.

I will definitely return with a longer wire to see if this surprising setup can be improved even more.

A warm greeting to all the Friends who follow SWLing Post and to you, Dear Thomas.

73, Giuseppe IZ0GZW

Bob’s Radio Corner: Pairing a Phone or Tablet with a Radio

9 Replies

Pairing a Phone or Tablet with a Radio

By Bob Colegrove

The Internet is full of resources for radio listeners and hobbyists. There are numerous examples of general information, frequency, and schedule lists. There are also WebSDR sites, which allow you to compare reception experiences from around the world. All of these can be accessed quickly and easily by having them loaded on your phone or tablet operating side-by-side with your radio and having Wi-Fi or cellular access. We never had any of this when I was starting out.

I realize there are other ways to go about what I have described below, for example, merging station listings with SDR. This posting is for folks like me who are SDR-challenged. I listen to plain old radios. My modern-day experience with newfangled technology has been limited to hitchhiking on WebSDR sites for the last few years. It has served me well.

Ideally, I would like to generalize this topic to simply cover all phones and tablets. In truth, my experience has been limited to an iPhone and Kindle Fire tablets. They have worked very well as I shall explain. Perhaps you have paired a different phone or tablet with your radio, in which case, feel free to share your experience.

The choice of a phone or tablet is yours. Either works well. Your decision will be affected by what you have available and what is easier to use. If you intend to buy a new device and associate it with your radio, cost will be an additional factor.

A noteworthy device (the one I tend to favor) is a Kindle Fire. Mainly, they are cheap. The regular price of a 7-inch model is just under $60 and can often be purchased for less during Black Friday and Prime Day sales. It is versatile, possessing all the usual functions except for cellular access. Perhaps most importantly, it is virtually noise-free. For a while I struggled using Internet sources on a laptop computer. Even a good one located about 10 feet away from the radio antenna generates noise. On the other hand, I have taken a 7-inch Kindle Fire in hand and placed it against the resonant coil of a loop antenna. This abuse generated no more disturbance to the antenna than if it were a block of pinewood. I have noticed some slight noise from the 11” Kindle when the antenna is exposed this way, but when that tablet is held at arm’s length from the antenna, all is well. Recently, I have expanded this application to my iPhone and found its noise immunity matches that of the Kindle Fire 7.

Broadcast Schedules

The most useful Internet resources are the broadcast schedules. These are the comprehensive frequency-time-station listings that tell us where and when to tune. There are many good ones. My favorites are the EiBi listing http://www.eibispace.de/, and Dan Ferguson’s https://groups.io/g/swskeds/topics. For the latter you will need to request membership. SWskeds merges EiBi, Aoki (https://www1.s2.starcat.ne.jp/ndxc), HFCC (https://new.hfcc.org/index.php), as well as other sources into a single list.

Processing

The EiBi listing comes as a CSV-formatted text file, which can be imported into a spreadsheet. I have done some processing using spreadsheet functions to produce a customized listing. Processing the frequency-time-station lists is most conveniently done using a computer rather than the phone or tablet. Processing includes selecting, arranging, or filtering the downloaded data tailored to your needs. This might include adding a filterable column to indicate only stations that are on at the current time. Some users might favor filtering by country or station. The heavy lifting processing is done automatically whenever a new listing is published by simply dropping the new file into the existing spreadsheet. No, the functionality of a spreadsheet and ease of editing are not as good on a tablet as with the mouse and keyboard of a computer. My processing on the computer includes measures to optimized the screen view to the most essential information thus minimizing the amount of scrolling on the tablet.

After the files are downloaded and processed, they can be loaded on the phone or tablet in a couple of different ways. They can be directly transferred over a USB cable, or they can be transferred using a cloud server. The USB cable-transfer method may be difficult on some devices, particularly iPhones. The Kindle seems to be the more convenient device. Being an obedient Microsoft customer, I can also transfer the files from my computer to OneDrive, then pick them up on the Kindle or iPhone using the OneDrive and Microsoft 365 apps which are available for both phone and tablet.

Examples

The screenshot below shows an EiBi example at 0014 UTC. Although the “ON” column filter is set to show only transmissions currently “ON,” it had not been manually updated on the Kindle for a couple hours and thus includes listings from a previous time. The EiBi database does not include transmitter power or beam information. However, the identification of countries and transmitter sites is extensive. These are determined by downloading and printing the README.TXT file on the EiBi site.

The SWSkeds listing is available in both CSV and Excel formats. It contains several additional data fields, very importantly including transmitter power and beam direction when available. For this list, I make the simple conversion of the existing Excel data range tab, “COMBINED” to a table so I can easily apply filters. The screenshot below shows an example at 1750 UTC with the “ON” column filtered to “ON.”

Not to be left out, the complete medium wave broadcast station list for Region 2, the Americas, is easily downloadable at https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-query. The entire database is formidable and contains nearly 600 pages in a printable format. Much of this bulk is due to the doubled size necessitated by giving both daytime and nighttime power separate entries for each station. A number of marginally useful data columns can be eliminated in spreadsheet processing. I have added formulas to calculate the azimuth heading and distance from my listening post (blanked out in the example below).

A variation of the downloadable file format is the direct-query site, SHORT.WAVE.INFO. Here you can simply enter queries by station, language, frequency, or band, and produce listings which match your criteria. Any listings which are currently on the air will be highlighted in red.

WebSDR

Finally, I would like to mention the WebSDR sites. While not used explicitly for broadcast schedules, these sites are great for anyone wanting to compare how well they are receiving signals relative to what others are experiencing. Granted, location and time of day are big factors that affect reception, but it is still useful to make these relative comparisons.

Home base is http://websdr.org/ which presents a catalog of many WebSDR sites by location. At the bottom of the page is a world map which pinpoints the location of each site. Most of these sites cater exclusively to hams; however, The University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands (http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/) covers 0.000 to 29.160 MHz unabridged. The screenshot below shows the tablet/phone version of the U. of Twente site. There are also two sites on the US East Coast which cover some non-hamband portions of the SW spectrum: http://na5b.com:8901/ in the Washington, DC area and http://websdr.k3fef.com:8901/ in Milford, Pennsylvania. The SHORT.WAVE.INFO and WebSDR sites can be directly accessed and queried over the tablet’s browser and a Wi-Fi or cellular connection.

Using the System

In my relentless pursuit to log the Nibi-Nibi Islands, I will load up one of the frequency-time-station listings and start my DX session. This typically includes a scan of a particular band, checking signals I can receive against the lists. If my interest peaks on a particular catch (usually a weak one), I will switch the tablet over to a WebSDR site to see how it is being received in Europe or along the East Coast of NA.

In summary, ready access to these Internet resources using a phone or tablet next to the radio has notable advantages:

The frequency-time-station listings provide quick, reliable signal identification in most cases.
The WebSDR sites confirm that my antennas are doing their job.

Am I done? I hesitate to stop here. The process of discovery is a marvelous human experience. The foregoing are merely starting points. Other applications might include sunrise-sunset calendars or maps or propagation forecasts. There are certainly other ways to do all this depending on your druthers. I know I am erring by omission and neglecting many other good resources. Let’s hear about yours.

Spread the radio love

Carlos Visits the Studios of UFRGS Radio

2 Replies

Visiting the studios of the University Radio of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

by Carlos Latuff

On the morning of Thursday, February 27, 2025, I visited the studios of the radio station of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS in Portuguese) in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Founded in 1950, it’s the first broadcaster in Brazil operated by a university, which currently broadcasts on medium wave (AM) and over the Internet (streaming): https://www.ufrgs.br/radio/ao-vivo/

Headquarters of the UFRGS radio studios in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The programming focuses mainly on classical music, but it also has programs of other musical styles. Despite the technical, bureaucratic and financial difficulties (a typical scenario of state radio stations in Brazil), the UFRGS Radio has been operating thanks to the efforts of its team. One of the things that catches my attention at this station is the news bulletin, broadcast on weekdays at 12:00 p.m. local time, presented by Mrs. Claudia Rocca.

News bulletin from UFRGS Radio, voiced by Mrs. Cláudia Rocca.

The bulletin is 10 minutes long and brings local, national and international news, some of which are suitable for my already traditional illustrated radio listening.

According to the station’s director, Mr. Claudio Roberto Dornelles Remião, the UFRGS radio station, like most AM radio stations in Brazil, will migrate to FM, but there’s still no set deadline.

Spread the radio love

What’s in the Box? Bob Colegrove Investigates the Forgotten Extras of Your Radio

12 Replies

What’s in the Box?

Itemized by Bob Colegrove

Not one to throw anything away, I tend to save ‘the box it came in’ for many new purchases. The other day I decided to organize all my radio boxes. Besides the radios themselves, they usually contain a selection of “goodies,” which can include, cases, power adapters, USB cables, batteries, earbuds, antennas, manuals, and so forth.

I generally do not use much that is included in the box. Over time, however, some of the paraphernalia has gotten scattered around, and my recent effort was intended to corral and sort the accessories. My experience is itemized below.

Cases

The cases are invariably the largest accessories in the box. These are sometimes firm, faux-leather enclosures with a zipper around the edges. I prefer the soft, pliable pouches which seem to function more easily and take up less space.

The Sony ICF-2010 and -2001D did not include cases. To give the radio some protection during travel and storage, I fabricated a ‘sock’ out of an old bath towel and some hot glue. The so-covered radio was then inserted into a travel bag along with earphones and anything else I needed. This worked very well over the years; so well that I extended the concept for some of my smaller radios, which came with cases.

Homemade socks for a PL-880 and ICF-2010 could even be color-coordinated with the rest of your gear.

Power Adapters and Batteries

The following is not intended as the definitive treatise on power adapters and batteries. Enough guidance has been provided by others. The takeaway here is that, if you ever refer to the radio’s manual, this is the occasion to do so. Ensure you know how your radio was designed and the proper way to power it.

In my collection of portable radios there are several combinations of power adapters and batteries.

Some radios came with power adapters and others didn’t.
Some radios came with batteries and others didn’t.
Some just came with USB charging cords.
Some were intended for both chargeable and nonchargeable batteries. Others were intended only for alkaline, nonchargeable batteries, in which case the power adapter disconnects the battery from the circuit and is only used to power the radio.

An adapter might be used to power the radio, recharge batteries, or both. It’s hard to believe in these days of switching power adapters that an adapter could ever be used to listen to AM radio, but that was the case with the Sony ICF-2010/2001D and Grundig Satellit 800. These radios came with a more costly transformer adapter which produced very little discernable noise. Manufactured in pre-rechargeable alkaline days; however, the adapter did not provide a battery charge function. Over the years, I have mostly used these radios in-house. They tend to be D-battery-hungry, and so they are usually powered via the adapters.

When Sony got around to producing the ICF-SW7600GR, they took a different approach. They simply figured it was a small, portable radio, and would mainly be used with batteries. So, there is a power port for an optional 6-volt adapter, but no included adapter.

The OEM batteries aren’t always the best, so I have an extra supply of rechargeable NiMH and lithium batteries which I cycle through my radios, and the originals are simply included in the rotation. The NiMH batteries that came with the Tecsun PL-600, -660, and -680 only had 1000 ma capacity and tended to self-discharge quickly after a year or two of use. However, they got you started.

I have always wondered about using NiMH batteries in radios intended only for alkaline batteries – mainly older ones. There is a 20-percent reduction in voltage. How does this affect the performance of the radio? I suppose this can only be answered on a case-by-case basis. As an example, I have used NiMH batteries in the Sony ICF-SW7600GR from the very beginning with no apparent degradation. However, on the XHDATA D-219 and D-220, the difference is quite noticeable. For some radios, the battery type is switchable, and one must be careful not to connect a power adapter to recharge alkaline batteries.

Earbuds

If you’re serious about radio, you have a good set of earbuds or headphones. I would venture to say the supplied earbuds for each of my radios are still in the box in their original wrapping. I don’t get along well with earbuds. They are hard to install in what apparently are my constricted ear canals and are always falling out. Several years ago I purchased a set of quality over-the-ear headphones. Not the most convenient for travel perhaps, but great for reproducing sound and mitigating outside noise. Grundig went so far as to include a set of over-the-ear headphones with the Satellit 800.

Antennas

Most new portables come with 20- to 25-ft long wire external antennas having 3.5-mm plugs for connection to the external antenna jack. Sometimes a plastic ‘clothespin’ is attached to the remote end of the wire for mounting. For convenience, some of these wires are contained in a tape-measure-style spool. These antennas are quite useful for the non-tinker and traveler, as they provide a means to extend the range, particularly on shortwave.

The C. Crane wire terminal antenna adapter, included with the Skywave SSB 2, is a boon to anyone without a soldering iron or otherwise not inclined to use one. Other manufacturers take note. A #2 Phillips screwdriver, and knife to strip the wire insulation are all you need for extensive antenna experimentation.

Source: C. Crane Skywave SSB 2 Instruction Manual, p. 30.

Sony packed not one, but two 3.5-mm external antenna plugs with each ICF-2010/2001D. The concept was the same as the C. Crane wire terminal antenna adapter. These had wire pigtails ending in screw terminals for an antenna and ground wire of your choice.

External antenna adapter (1 of 2) packed with the Sony ICF-2010 and -2001D

A caution here. The RF amplifier for LW, MW, and SW on the 2010 is an unprotected FET (Q303), which is notorious for failing due to electrostatic discharge from an external antenna. Early on, your author was twice bitten by this snake. There may be other radios that suffer from this vulnerability.

Straps

The strap is arguably the least useful accessory included with any portable radio. The Sony ICF-2010/2001D came with a very attractive blue over-the-shoulder web strap, which has become something of an “item” among collectors. Mine have been bound up in their original wrapping and stored away for 40-plus years, and might yield the cost of a new portable radio should I ever decide to auction them on the Internet. I have never used them on either of my 2010s simply because I can envision the priceless radio dangling pendulously at the end of the strap waiting to meet disaster through contact with an immovable door jam.

The same goes for smaller radios which almost always include an obligatory wrist strap. Perhaps these should not be classified as accessories, as they are permanently attached to the radio. I avoid using them for the same reason as sited for the 2010s. Besides, they just get in the way. These straps are usually anchored inside the case, but I can’t bear to cut them off; so, I have just lived with them. In the few cases where I have opened the case, I have omitted reinstalling them. Instead of having a strap, how about a collapsible “lunchbox” handle? I can even envision one of these being developed into a dual-purpose handle/antenna.

Manuals

Don’t forget the manual. We’ve gotten away from manuals. People don’t use them, and they are a manufacturing expense. Besides, you can find your answer on the Internet.

As a retired technical writer, however, I have a strong respect for a well-crafted technical manual. Besides actually using them, I unconsciously evaluate them. Unfortunately, most are written as an afterthought – an attempt to forestall customer enquiries. “Read the manual.” The problem is compounded by radios intended for a worldwide market, wherein the manuals are authored by writers who labor under the handicap of having English, French, Spanish, German, etc. as a second language.

There are also situations where the printing is too small or the fanfolds too inconvenient. My standard practice is to download an electronic copy of each manual, print it out in 8 ½” × 11” format, and put it in a comb or 3-ring binder. This is easier on aging eyes, and more suitable for adding my own notes.

…and so forth

Besides the common accessories described above, some unique items have been included over the years. For example, Tecsun has packaged very nice 20-inch by 30-inch charts with some models. One side contains a world map showing amateur call areas. The other side is an enlargement of the radio with each button or control function described.

Going back a few years, Sony included a slick publication called the Wave Handbook with some of their radios. These had convenient station vs. time charts for world band radio. The charts were like those published in frequency vs. time format in Passport to Worldband Radio. The booklets were published in several editions over the years, but obviously, these were time sensitive and became outdated rather quickly. Still, they could pique the interest of folks new to SWLing.

Packaging

Finally, there is the box the radio came in and any accompanying wrapping. The packrat DNA in me usually demands that I keep all this. It can speed up the sale or otherwise increase the value of the radio, if you ever decide to sell it.

Which radio accessories do you use?

Would you like an option to buy the radio without any accessories?

Spread the radio love

SIHUADON R-108 – A Truly Portable Radio

19 Replies

By Robert Gulley K4PKM

The SIHUADON R-108 is a compact, inexpensive and capable radio with many features radio hobbyists have come to expect. While I no longer have one of my earliest AM transistor radios, it is comparable in size, but not much else!! Being a radio “old-timer”, I never cease to be amazed at what can be fit into a jacket pocket these days!

For those who have seen, or own, a CCrane Skywave, the radios at first blush look very similar. Size and weight are almost identical. While they are indeed quite similar, they also have some significant differences, and so I will simply say even if you already own one or the other, having both in your radio arsenal can be easily justified given the prices involved.

With all of that as preface, the usual disclaimer applies – I was asked by XHDATA to review the SIHUADON R-108 with the complete understanding that I give fair and honest reviews, good or bad. Like all radios, the R-108 has a few nits I will pick at, but the short answer to the question of value and capabilities is: this is an excellent portable/travel radio which works great in the arm chair, as well as on the road or in far off locations.

We will start with the usual specifications according to the manufacturer:

Frequency Range:

FM: 64 ~ 108 MHz
- Russia: 64 ~ 108 MHz
- Japan: 76 ~ 108MHz
- EU, USA:87.5 ~ 108MHz
SW: 1711 ~ 29999 kHz
MW: 522~ 1620 kHz
- USA: 520-1710kHz
LW: 150 ~ 450kHz
AIR: 118-137MHz

Features

Speaker: 5W / 4Ohm
Earphone Jack: 35mm,Stereo type
500 Memories
Power supply : USB 5V/250mA external adaptor (not included), BL-5C battery
External Antenna Connection

Unit Size:

120(L)×70(W)×30(H)mm
Weight: ~190g (Battery not included)

Package includes:

1 x SIHUADON R-108 Radio
1 x USB charge cable
1 x BL-5C lithium battery
External Wire Antenna
1 x User Manual

Ergonomics

The R-108 has very good ergonomics for its size – even with rather large fingers the controls are easy to operate. There are a few multi-purpose buttons but these do not get in the way of typical operation, as most of them are designed to be used in the secondary function while the radio is off, such as setting the FM starting frequency for different parts of the world, or setting the MW bandwidth setting or clock function.

Tuning Dial, USB-C Connector, and Volume wheel

Tuning knob changes between Fast, Slow, and Stop with a press.

One feature I particularly like is the multifunction tuning knob. Rotating the knob does as one would expect in changing frequencies, and pushing the knob in switches between fast and slow tuning depending on the band. But a third option is “Stop”, which locks on to the frequency such that turning the knob will not change the current frequency. For a portable radio one is likely to be holding in the hands often, I find this a nice feature.

Direct keyboard entry is always a useful feature, one which I use quite regularly. With the R-108 you simply press the Frequency button and enter in the frequency based on the band – LW, MW, etc. There is no need to press a separate “enter” key when finished, as the frequency setting is complete with the last digit press.

The radio features a robust 19-inch telescoping antenna, and while any antenna is able to be bent or broken if enough force is applied, this antenna should easily last the life of the radio if handled reasonably. The screen is bright and easy to read, and the radio features a flip out stand on the back and a replaceable battery.

Bright Screen and External Antenna Jack

There is also an external antenna jack for the included wire antenna, and one could certainly build a longer wire antenna or adapt an existing external antenna with the appropriate plug. I only tested the included wire antenna and did not find that it overloaded the front-end of the radio, but the performance of the wire antenna was less than desirable (see Cons below). However, your mileage may vary, as they say, whether due to location or by using a different external antenna.

One of the more obvious design intentions for this radio is an appeal to a world-wide audience, as evidenced both by the variable FM frequency range options and the inclusion of the LW band. Depending on your location, the time of year, and listening conditions, this can be a nice addition. I cannot speak to the effectiveness of this radio’s implementation of the band in that there are few longwave signals I have been able to receive on my desktop radios, even with external long-wire antennas at my current location.

Bandwidth tuning is variable for SW/LW/MW/AIR with options of 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 kHz.

In testing the radio’s reception, I have compared it with the CCRANE SKYWAVE and it’s larger sibling, the XHDATA D-808, with some interesting results. On shortwave bands and FM I have found the three radios to be basically comparable in reception. Now, this deserves a bit of a deeper dive into performance. I say basically comparable because there are some differences in the SW reception.

The SIHUADON R-108 and the CCRANE are very similar, but the XHDATA D-808, even though it has a larger antenna (7-inches longer), did not receive signals as well as the R-108. There are likely two reasons for this. First, the most likely overall is a bit of a difference in design sensitivity. But what was more noticeable, and the secondary reason for the difference in reception, was the interference factor. The D-808 was simply more susceptible to electrical interference. There were several birdies present on portions of the SW bands which were not present on either of the two smaller radios.

This also brings up another interesting find: the audio out of the R-108 was noticeably better than the CCRANE or the D-808, even with the D-808’s larger speaker. This was a nice surprise as listening to MW and SW was much more pleasant to the ear. When connected to headphones the stereo audio quality was pretty much the same between the three units as one would expect.

This R-108, branded under “RADIWOW R-108”, was reviewed by Thomas a while back and exhibited some birdies on the MW band. This seems to have been corrected in my copy of the radio, but would be worth checking into to make sure if purchasing a new unit.

As a side note, the radio was also included in the excellent 2021 Ultralight Radio Shootout by Gary DeBock.

Replaceable Battery and Kick Stand

The radio has an ATS function which works quite well. The basic operation is like most radios with this feature in terms of scanning, but using the stored stations is not always easy with some radios, involving multiple button presses, “pages” or menu settings.

In the case of the R-108, once stations have been scanned on a particular band using the long press of the ATS key, selecting them becomes quite simple. For example, with the FM band selected, a press of the VM/VF key switches you from standard frequency tuning to your presets. This is indicated both by a change in the display to show the current preset selected, as well as a double beep, convenient for those who might be visually impaired. When in Preset mode you can tune the presets manually with the tuning knob, or make use of the U/D arrows to either fine tune or manually tune through the band. A long press on either the up or down arrows starts a scan of the preset stations, pausing for 5 seconds on each stored station for that band. Stopping the scan is done by pressing once again on the up or down arrows.

Below are a list of Pros and Cons, as well as my final thoughts on the radio.

Pros:

USB-C connector

Strong Antenna

External antenna jack

Bright backlit display

LW band inclusion

Superior Audio as compared to other portables of its size (and even larger)

Good battery life and convenient charging connection, replaceable battery

ATS function implemented well

Price

Cons:

Soft muting is present and the recovery time is a bit longer than most radios I have used

No WX band (For a travel radio in the U.S. this is a feature that will be missed)

External Antenna created more noise on SW signals with no boost in sensitivity for weak stations, and stronger stations were made less strong due to induced noise

Conclusion

As we so often say, no radio is perfect, and no radio will please everyone, or even fit everyone’s needs. I do not travel much, so a small portable radio that can be packed easily and not add a lot of weight to my luggage is not as important to me as it is to, say, our venerable leader Thomas, who travels a lot and loves a good compact radio.

I however do like to sit in my recliner and listen to AM DX, Shortwave, and the occasional classical music FM station or local AM station. I think Jock and I have a lot in common that way. For serious Amateur DX, Utility and serious DXing of almost any sort, I rely on my desktop radios and tie in my radios to my computer and external antennas. But I often like to just relax with a radio, and this is a great radio with which to do just that.

I have already mentioned the excellent audio which makes listening more enjoyable on all modes, and the ergonomics fit me quite well. The sensitivity of the radio is quite good, the range of reception band options is impressive, and the memory station tuning is a breeze.

What is most impressive in some ways is the price for which such excellent features may be found.

And speaking of price, XHDATA has offered a special coupon offer for a limited time for SWLing Blog readers:

From XHDATA: We’d like to provide you with a stackable 20% discount code.
Here are the exclusive discount codes:

R108 (Black & Gray): 20R108forSWL

Effective time: From 2025-2-6 To 2025-2-9 Pacific Standard Time

R108:
– Black: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XVVCP9L
– Gray: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HCYYW88

I have tested the codes and they are working for Amazon America purchases. Stackable means in addition to the 10% coupon offered on the Amazon site, you can add the above code during the checkout process to get an additional 20% off, making the price with tax ~$45! This code is for SWLing Blog readers only!

(Follow the tag Radiwow R-108 for additional posts.)

Spread the radio love

Unlocking Rare DX Treasures with SDR-Console’s Powerful Data File Analyzer Tool

6 Replies

Finding Rare DX with the Data File Analyzer

By Don Moore

Don’s DX traveling stories can be found in his book Tales of a Vagabond DXer.

I’ve been a real jack-of-all-trades in my over five decades of DXing. I began with SWBC (shortwave broadcast) but soon branched out to medium wave and voice utility. Later I added longwave beacons and more recently I’ve gotten into digital utility stations. My goal has always been to log lots of different stations from lots of different places. And the rarer they are, the better.

For SWBC and medium wave stations, as well as scheduled utility broadcasts such as marine and aeronautical weather reports, the DXing process is simple. You tune to a frequency at a time when a station is scheduled to be on the air. It’s either there or it’s not there. If it’s not there then maybe propagation isn’t right or maybe your antenna/receiver setup isn’t the best for that frequency band or the station’s power level. You tune away to find something else with plans to try again another day.

But it’s not always that easy. Most utility stations do not have fixed schedules and only come on as needed. The best example of that is two-way marine, aeronautical, and military voice communications.

In eastern North America, tune to 8906 kHz anytime from late afternoon until morning and set your receiver to USB mode. You’ll probably hear empty static at first but it’s unlikely that more than ten or fifteen minutes will pass before you’ve heard some aeronautical traffic. The frequency is assigned for communication on the North Atlantic and is heavily used by aircraft communicating with New York Radio, Gander Radio (Newfoundland, Canada), and Shanwick Radio (Shannon, Ireland). If you keep listening, the frequency will probably be occupied around 25% of the time. Wherever you are in the world, there are a few heavily used air frequencies like 8906 kHz and listening to them can be fascinating. But I want to log more than just a few easily heard stations.

Sticking to aeronautical DX, there are many assigned frequencies for different regions and air routes around the world. But propagation to those distant areas is unpredictable and less-used routes have fewer flights. Fewer flights mean less radio communication and more empty static. The most interesting frequencies may only see traffic a few times a week.

Hearing the rarest voice utility DX requires listening to lots of empty static just to get a brief DX catch. For years my process was simple. I would set my receiver to an interesting frequency and leave the tape recorder running while I sat nearby listening and doing something productive. I got some very good DX over the years that way. But I don’t want to think about how many long hours of empty static I listened to in order to get that DX.

SDRs offered some improvement. Instead of audibly monitoring a specific frequency I could now make a spectrum recording that included a band of interest, say the 8815 to 9040 aeronautical band. During playback I could visually monitor the SDR waterfall for interesting signals. That works. But watching an SDR waterfall scroll by for three or four hours gets tedious quickly.

(When I refer to SDRs, I mean ones consisting of a small box that is connected to and controlled from a computer using a software program. None of this applies to models such as the Malachite line or the Icom IC-R8600, which use SDR technology inside but mostly function as a traditional receiver.)

Finding a Better Way

That better way is, I think, one of the most exciting DX tools out there – the Data File Analyzer in the SDR-Console program. Since I learned about it a few years ago, the Analyzer has gotten me all kinds of catches that I probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Let’s start with an overview and then dig into the how-to.

SDR-Console is one of the better-known SDR programs and it works well with most of the common SDR radios on the market, including the Airspy, Elad, Perseus, and SDR-Play models. Here’s what the main window looks like:

The Data File Analyzer is a second window that produces a scrollable waterfall display for the entire length of an SDR spectrum recording. The display is similar to a standard waterfall with frequencies along the bottom and times along the side. However, there is also a scroll bar on the right side for browsing through the entire length of the recording. Instead of watching a four-hour spectrum recording slowly roll by in real time, I can scroll through the window looking for DX.

And this is what makes the Data Analyzer really useful. When I spot an interesting signal, I click on it and that causes the main window to start playing at that time and frequency. Now going through a four-hour spectrum recording takes from a few minutes to around half an hour, depending on how much DX I find.

Here’s a closeup of part of that same screen of spectrum recording made on 24 October 2024 at a DXpedition in western Pennsylvania, USA.

“A” marks a short exchange between an aircraft and Ndjamena Radio in Chad on 8894 kHz. “B” is Niamey Radio in Niger on 8903 kHz. “C” is Gander Radio on 8891 kHz. Just to the left of that is a string of digital signals. “D” is New York Radio on 8918 kHz. Again, there is a string of digital signals just to the left. Finally, “E” is communication from Dakar Radio in Senegal and Sal Radio in the Cape Verde Islands on 8861 kHz. I caught four African aero stations in just four-and-a-half minutes. I could also show you long stretches of time when there was nothing interesting coming in. With the Data File Analyzer I was able to visually find and focus on the DX and not waste my time with the empty static.

Here’s another image taken at the same DXpedition. Notice the three transmissions between 8820 to 8845 that seem to be mirroring one other.

That turned out to be Flightwatch Brisbane, the Australian regional aeronautical network. It uses multiple transmitter sites on 8822, 8831, and 8843 kHz to cover the entire country. I had never logged it before and I doubt I would have found it if DXing in the traditional manner.

The How-To

Here I’m going to assume that you already have SDR-Console installed and know the basics of how to use it, including making spectrum recordings. (If not, see the links at the end.) This article was written using version 3.4 of SDR-Console. Some of the functionalities described are not in earlier versions, so upgrade if you are not up to date. And I should point out that while you can do this on a single monitor, it works more smoothly if you have a dual monitor setup and can put each window on a different screen. Continue reading →

Spread the radio love

From NDBs to TIS: A DXer’s Journey Across 1610-1700 kHz

4 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who shares the following guest post and asks, “Wonder who can add to this list?“:

A Look Back – DXing between 1610 and 1700 kHz

by Dan Greenall

1. The Caribbean Beacon, Anguilla West Indies 1610 kHz (1985 QSL)

2. NDB stations (non-directional beacons)

transmitted call letters on CW, mostly from airports, heard in the 1970’s
examples: MDE Medellin, Colombia 1690 kHz and RAB Rabinal, Guatemala 1613 kHz

3. U.S. Army Broadcasting Service KTRK 1670 Fort Meade, MD Feb 1996 articles and recordings

https://www.radioheritage.com/ktrk-k-truck-1670-khz/

4. FCC Part 15 Radio Stations

Example: WDKW 1630 “the Klaw” Dundalk High School near Baltimore, MD

Link to my recording made at a DX camp in Coe Hill, Ontario, Canada on April 20, 1997: https://archive.org/details/wdkw-the-klaw-1630

An internet search revealed the following;

Part 15 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules allows some low-powered radio devices to operate without a license on the AM and FM radio broadcast bands. These devices are subject to certain restrictions, including:

Range: On FM frequencies, the effective service range is limited to about 200 feet (61 meters).
Field strength: The field strength should not exceed 250 ?V/m (48db) at 3 meters.
Detachable antennas: Part 15 rules prohibit detachable antennas on all Part 15 transmitters.

Some examples of Part 15 radio stations include:

Microbroadcasting

Often used by hobbyists, drive-in theaters, or on college or high school campuses.

Talking roadsigns, talking houses, or talking billboards

These transmitters air a repeating loop of information, such as traffic or highway construction. They typically operate on empty channels on the AM broadcast band.

InfOspot

A custom product that can include special audio systems, USB / internet connectivity, cabinets, and antenna mounting styles.

Free-radiate AM radio stations

Educational institutions can use a transmitter without a license if the signal coverage is limited to their property.

5. TIS (Travellers Information Stations)

1610 kHz with low power, usually around 10 watts, such as the one I hear near the Blue Water Bridge between Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan

6. Expanded AM broadcast band

Over a quarter century ago, these frequencies began to be used in the U.S. by BCB stations. I still have recordings of a half dozen of these from the early days.

WTDY 1670: