Tag Archives: Shortwave Radio

Final Day! Virtual Radio Challenge II

View of Laya, Bhutan (Source: Roro Travel)

View of Laya, Bhutan (Source: Roro Travel)

Today is the last day to submit entries for the Virtual Radio Challenge II: your opportunity to piece together the best, innovative $1200 (US) radio kit you might pack for two years in the remote off-grid village of Laya, Bhutan.

To participate in this challenge, simply comment on our original post with your suggested set-up, any links, and a brief explanation for your choices. You’re also welcome to email me directly with your response on or before Friday, October 3rd, 2014 (today). I plan to post a selection of diverse entries next week.

Click here to read about the challenge.

Reminder: Virtual Radio Challenge II

Bhutan

We’ve received some brilliant, creative entries in the Virtual Radio Challenge II: your opportunity to piece together the best $1200 (US) radio kit you might pack for two years in the remote off-grid village of Laya, Bhutan.

To participate in this challenge, simply comment on our original post with your suggested set-up, any links, and a brief explanation for your choices. You’re also welcome to email me directly with your response on or before Friday, October 3rd, 2014. I plan to post a selection of diverse entries shortly thereafter.

Click here to read about the challenge.

A map of every device connected to the Internet

(Source: John Matherly, via Gizmodo)

(Source: John Matherly, via Gizmodo)

SWLing Post reader, Mehmet Burk, shares this tweet from Sherry Rehman:

Many thanks, Mehmet!

Though this map may not be completely accurate since IP addresses in IPv4 can have thousands of devices behind a single IP, I believe it is a solid reflection on where the Internet is(n’t). Note that Africa is still very much in the information dark; shortwave and FM radio fills this void 24/7 in many rural communities.

Stack Exchange radio Q&A site

SX-99-Dial

London Shortwave writes:

I’ve just discovered that there is an Amateur Radio equivalent of the StackOverflow website (a Q&A website for programmers where answers are upvoted/downvoted according to a number of strict guidelines, ensuring answer relevance and quality).

http://ham.stackexchange.com

After a quick scan it seems that it contains many useful answers that are also relevant to SWLs, for example:

http://ham.stackexchange.com/questions/606/can-i-reduce-rfi-noise-at-the-antenna

Very cool! With over 630 questions ham radio questions so far, there are many answers that can help SWLs. Thanks for sharing this, LS!

Radio Exterior de España: new management and possible change

RadioExteriorDeEspana

SWLing Post reader, David, writes from Barcelona:

I would like to let you know that changes are coming to my country’s SW broadcast station, Radio Exterior de España.

As they say in the latest “Listeners Club” program in the English Language broadcast, new bosses have come, the situation is chaotic now, and everything now is “up in the air”.

They may simply undergo a simple schedule change, but there’s a strong possibility as well, that REE went completely off the air. I think it is news worth spreading.

Here is a link to the latest “Listeners Club”, which includes comments on the issue: http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/emision-en-ingles/english-broadcast-listeners-club/2735360/

Many thanks, David. Please keep us informed if you hear any news.

John follows Radio Australia schedule changes

SX-99-Dial

Yesterday, John Figliozzi (editor of The Worldwide Listening Guide) followed Radio Australia schedule changes as he heard them online and over the air:

“Listening in now (1415 GMT/UTC) on 12065 kHz. and via the internet, the scheduled program (up to now) “Late Night Live” is missing with alternative rock music from Triple J taking its place at this time. On the RA web page, there is a notice stating:

“Schedule update
We are in the process of updating our radio schedule. We’re introducing some new shows and some existing ones have moved to new time slots. Please stay tuned, we’ll be publishing the full new schedule soon.”

LNL is a Radio National-sourced program, so I gather this means it’s either being moved to a new time slot or (hopefully not) dropped altogether. No doubt a bit of confusion wrought by the thoroughly precipitous manner in which the ABC has had to adjust to the government budget cut that prompted that all this, a budget cut the Coalition had claimed prior to its election that it was in no way contemplating.”

Three hours later:

“At this point, it appears that Radio Australia shortwave frequencies and online is just relaying Triple J Unearthed, one of the ABC’s all digital networks, that plays new Australian music 24/7 with occasional IDs but no DJ commentary.

Then four hours later:

“A more normalized schedule appears back in place as “Pacific Beat” was heard via the RA internet stream from just past 1900 until 2100 GMT.  This is the two hour morning edition of the program which carried a very nice tribute to the “retiring” Sean Dorney, the ABC’s and RA’s Pacific correspondent, after 40 years with the organization.  There was a reminder at the end of the program for listeners to tune into the afternoon edition of the program later in the day, which if memory serves is a shortened compilation of some of the morning content.  Perhaps the earlier relay of Triple J Unearthed is just a temporary placeholder or is intended as overnight programming (Australian time)?

Listening now (2100) via shortwave.  17860 putting in a steady listenable signal peaking at S8 albeit with the usual local late afternoon QRN.  “ABC News for Radio Australia” followed by “AM”, morning news program at 2110.”

Be sure to check out John Figliozzi’s book, The Worldwide Listening Guide online–click here for my most recent review.

Thanks for sharing this, John! 

Victor Goonetilleke: The joy of DXing

SX-99-DialVictor Goonetilleke has kindly shared a passage he recently posted to Facebook. Victor pretty much sums up why I still listen to the shortwaves:

“For almost four score and 5 I enjoyed shortwave radio. Yes I was a DXer, and a dedicated listener. The thousands of hours of broadcasts I listened from the BBC, VOA, RNW, DW, RFI, Swiss Radio, NHK and many more of the international broadcasters influenced me over the years. The knowledge I gathered was transferred to hundreds of homes as I taught my students in class rooms and as a lecturer too in higher Colleges, in many social gatherings, day to day conversations with important people and everyday folks, what I gathered from my radio made them realize that there was a story out there.

And as the years went by one by one those stations started to go away and I became more and more a DXer and finally I have only those signals to bring me joy.

Tonight would you blame me for being a DXer, abandoned by the international broadcasters, if I sit back and enjoy this music through the crackle of shortwave and happy that I have a radio which few seems to understand these days.”

You can listen to the recording Victor made by clicking here: https://app.box.com/s/tcryw2ymt38gz8y6zaw4

I would also encourage you to read Victor’s guest commentary on BBG Watch which was prompted by the BBG pulling the (shortwave) plug on much of Asia.

Finally, in 2003, Jonathan Marks interviewed Victor Goonetilleke; you can watch the full interview below:

Visit with Victor Goonetilleke 2003 from Jonathan Marks on Vimeo.