Tag Archives: Shortwave Broadcast Schedules

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

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.

20th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Summer 2023) Now Available

1 Reply

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gayle Van Horn (W4GVH), who shares the following announcement:

20th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Summer 2023) Now Available

While the world looks on in awe at dazzling displays of aurora, reaching ever closer to our planet’s equator, radio hobbyists are equally excited at the impacts our sun’s increased activity has had on the radio spectrum.

From enhanced propagation on the higher HF bands, to more frequent auroral activity on mediumwave and even hobbyists tuning in to the ionosphere itself through ‘natural radio’, Solar Cycle 25 is proving to be quite the motivator for radio hobbyists to reach for their radios.

If you want to know where and how to tune-in, Gayle Van Horn’s (W4GVH) Amazon bestselling Global Radio Guide (now in its 20th edition for the Summer of 2023) as it has all the details to make sure you miss none of the action.

Larry Van Horn (N5FPW) helps break down exactly what the increased solar activity means for radio listeners on the high frequency (HF) shortwave bands. Think there are no shortwave broadcasters left to hear? Think that military and other utility communications have dried up on HF? Larry points you to the right spots on the band that prove otherwise.

As one of the only remaining publications available with international broadcast frequencies and schedules, the Global Radio Guide (GRG) puts everything a radio enthusiast needs to navigate the action right in their hands.

With the help of the GRG, you can take advantage of enhanced propagation to tune in shortwave broadcast stations from worldwide hotspots such as China, Cuba, India, Iran, North/South Korea, and many other counties. If you have a shortwave radio receiver, SDR or Internet connection, pair it with this unique radio resource to know when and where to listen to the world.

This newest edition of the GRG carries on the tradition of those before it with an in-depth, 24-hour station/frequency guide with schedules for selected AM band, longwave, and shortwave radio stations. This unique resource is the only radio publication that lists by-hour schedules that include all language services, frequencies, and world target areas for over 500 stations worldwide.

The GRG includes listings of DX radio programs and Internet website addresses for many of the stations in the book. There are also entries for time and frequency stations as well as some of the more “intriguing” transmissions one can find on the shortwave radio bands.

In addition to the global hotspots, the GRG brings the world to you from other places on the radio dial.

The action isn’t limited to just HF though. From the top down, solar cycle 25 has radio signals bouncing all over the ionosphere.

In fact, you can even tune in to the ionosphere itself as solar energy interacts and bends our magnetosphere through the wonders of very low frequency “natural radio.” Learn about sferics, tweeks, whistlers and the magical dawn’s chorus and how you can listen in with your own ears!

A little further up the band, mediumwave frequencies are alive with signals from the tropics. With each dip of the auroral field closer to the equator, mediumwave signals from the tropic region become enhanced. Loyd Van Horn (W4LVH) discusses what to look for and busts propagation myths for the mediumwave and FM broadcast bands.

With enhanced propagation on HF, there is an increased diversity of signals to hear from various countries. To help, Fred Waterer brings a primer on the when and where of languages one can tune into on the shortwave bands.

Whether you monitor shortwave radio broadcasts, mediumwave, amateur radio operators, or aeronautical, maritime, government, or military communications in the HF radio spectrum, this book has the information you need to help you to hear it all. Teak Publishing’s Global Radio Guide “brings the world to you.”

You can find this edition of the Global Radio Guide, along with all our titles currently available for purchase, on the Teak Publishing Web site at www.teakpublishing.com.

The 20th edition of the Global Radio Guide e-Book (electronic book only, no print edition available) is available worldwide from Amazon and their various international websites at

https://amzn.to/41ndGaT

The price for this latest edition is US$8.99. Since this book is being released internationally, Amazon customers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France Spain, Italy, Japan, India, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Australia can order this e-Book from Amazon websites directly servicing these countries. Customers in all other countries can use the regular Amazon.com website to purchase this e-Book.

You can read any Kindle e-Book with Amazon’s ‘free’ reading apps on literally any electronic media platform. You do not have to own a Kindle reader from Amazon to read this e-book. There are Kindle apps available for iOS, Android, Mac and PC platforms. You can find additional details on these apps by checking out this link to the Amazon website at: https://amzn.to/42lvxR9

19th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Winter 2022-23) Now Available

1 Reply

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gayle Van Horn (W4GVH), who shares the following announcement:

19th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Winter 2022-23) Now Available

Small moves and gradual escalation.

Positioning resources so that at the perfect moment, a move can be made to ensure a swift victory.

This is no game of chess, this is the real-world and real-time tensions playing out in the Taiwan Straits every day.

With tensions between Taiwan and China on the rise, and with the Russian-Ukrainian war raging on, radio hobbyists are following the latest news from the front lines using shortwave broadcasts and various other radio services. You can hear these international events like the pros do, but you will need an accurate and comprehensive global radio guide to know where and when to tune in to the action.

That is where you can count on Gayle Van Horn’s (W4GVH) Amazon bestselling Global Radio Guide (now in its 19th edition for the Winter of 2022-23) as it has all of the details you need to catch up with the latest from these and other hotspots around the world.

As one of the only remaining publications available with international broadcast frequencies and schedules, the Global Radio Guide (GRG) puts everything a radio enthusiast needs to navigate the action right in their hands.

In this completely updated edition, regular GRG contributor Fred Waterer (also of The Spectrum Monitor) post features on monitoring the international broadcasters at the very forefront of the events. Larry Van Horn, N5FPW, adds his detailed information on monitoring of utilities on the shortwave bands, including military communications.

With the help of the GRG, you can tune in shortwave broadcast stations from additional hotspots such as Cuba, India, Iran, North/South Korea, and many other counties. If you have a shortwave radio receiver, SDR or Internet connection, pair it with this unique radio resource to know when and where to listen to the world.

In addition to the global hotspots, the GRG brings the world to you from other places on the radio dial.

It’s not just the shortwave bands heating up, mediumwave DXing has seen a surge in popularity in recent years as well. For those DXing the lower bands, DX Central’s Loyd Van Horn, W4LVH, breaks down the basics of getting started with mediumwave DX and even gives us a fun summer project does a deep dive into everything you need to know when purchasing a portable radio for AM DX. While SDRs are taking over, portable radios remain popular and highly successful options for the mediumwave DXer and Loyd can help you sort through the specs and stats to find your next radio!

You can find this edition of the Global Radio Guide, along with all of our titles currently available for purchase, on the Teak Publishing Web site at www.teakpublishing.com. Details will be available at www.teakpublishing.com.

The 19th edition of the Global Radio Guide e-Book (electronic book only, no print edition available) is available worldwide from Amazon and their various international websites at
https://amzn.to/3UIcJqz

18th Edition of the Global Radio Guide (Summer 2022) Now Available

Familiar players and familiar places.

Familiar fears pushed by familiar voices.

The world has held its breath during the Russian invasion of Ukraine as images of the human suffering of war have brought back old memories and old fears from years gone by.

Just like these events have brought up once buried feelings, it has also brought what many thought to be “old” technology back to the forefront. While internet access is one of the first targets of invading regimes intent on controlling the narrative, the vast reach of shortwave radio transcends borders and other forms of connectivity.

It is déjà vu with a front row view.

For those who want to be on the front lines of the action, Gayle Van Horn’s (W4GVH) 18th Edition of her Amazon bestselling Global Radio Guide (Summer 2022) has all of the details you need to catch up with the latest from the front lines.

In this completely updated edition, regular GRG contributors Ken Reitz, KS4ZR, and Fred Waterer (both also of The Spectrum Monitor) post features on monitoring the international broadcasters at the very forefront of the events. Larry Van Horn, N5FPW, adds his detailed information on monitoring of utilities on the shortwave bands, including military communications.

With the help of the GRG, you can tune in shortwave broadcast stations from additional hotspots such as China, Cuba, India, Iran, North/South Korea, Taiwan, and many other counties. If you have a shortwave radio receiver, SDR or Internet connection, pair it with this unique radio resource to know when and where to listen to the world.

In addition to the global hotspots, the GRG brings the world to you from other places on the radio dial.

Gayle Van Horn brings us into the tropics with her regular stroll through the tropical bands – one of the most challenging and rewarding pursuits for the shortwave listener.

Not only are the bands heating up with world events, but the HF bands themselves are becoming more alive as our sun wakes up from its slumber. What impact will this renewed solar activity have on listening? Tad Cook, K7RA, shares his atmospheric expertise with a primer on radio propagation while maintaining an eye on the ever-evolving Solar Cycle 25.

A bit lower on your radio dial, DX Central’s Loyd Van Horn, W4LVH, breaks down the basics of getting started with mediumwave DX and even gives us a fun summer project by diving into the powerful KAZ antenna that listeners can use to pull in elusive mediumwave signals from far beyond their home.

You can find this edition of the Global Radio Guide, along with all of our titles currently available for purchase, on the Teak Publishing Web site at www.teakpublishing.com. Details will be available at www.teakpublishing.com.

The 18th edition of the Global Radio Guide e-Book (electronic book only, no print edition available) is available worldwide from Amazon and their various international websites at

https://amzn.to/3kXqjqw

Teak Publishing Company
P.O. Box 297
Brasstown NC 28902
www.teakpublishing.com

Guest Post: Simple Android Database Part 2

Simple Android Database-PART 2

by Billy Hemphill, WD9EQD

In the first part, I showed how you could easily take a spreadsheet and create a simple database for viewing on an Android phone/tablet. The examples used in that article was two spreadsheets of radio schedules – one for Shortwave and one for FM Radio Programs. See the following link to the original article: https://swling.com/blog/2021/10/guest-post-radio-schedules-in-a-simple-android-database/

There are many lists on the internet of various radio databases. If the database can be downloaded as either a CVS file or a spreadsheet, then it is possible to load it into the PortoDB app on the phone tablet. I’ll show how this can be done with two popular databases that I reference all the time.

EIBI Data Base

Most of you are probably familiar with the EIBI database of shortwave schedules. Many of the Shortwave Schedule apps on the Phones reference this database. For example, I use the Skywave Schedules on my phone. While it does allow for me to search by many parameters, I thought it might be fun to have it in a PortoDB database. Plus it would be interesting to see how PortoDB performs with a large data set. Continue reading →

Guest Post: Radio Schedules in a Simple Android Database

7 Replies

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

Radio Schedules in a Simple Android Database

by Bill Hemphill

I am a program listener. I really enjoy listening to various radio stations direct and by internet streaming. Over time, I have come up with a couple of spread sheets that lists the program, station, time, date, etc. For example, following is the spreadsheet for the shortwave radio programs/stations that I enjoy:

As the program schedules change, I update the spreadsheet. This has worked quite well for me. I usually sort on the weekday and then print out the spreadsheet as a list by time and frequency for each day.

While this method works, it does mean that I have these multiple page printouts that I have to refer to. This got me thinking that it would be great to have this on my Android phone/tablet. Then I could refer to it no matter where I was located.

At first, I tried to use Google Sheets, but found that using a spreadsheet on the phone or even a tablet to be a pain. I then tried entering it into a calendar program, but also found that very cumbersome. Continue reading →