{"id":46176,"date":"2020-10-26T07:27:33","date_gmt":"2020-10-26T11:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=46176"},"modified":"2020-10-26T07:27:33","modified_gmt":"2020-10-26T11:27:33","slug":"listener-post-from-a-broken-console-radio-to-the-kenwood-r-600","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/listener-post-from-a-broken-console-radio-to-the-kenwood-r-600\/","title":{"rendered":"Listener Post: From a broken console radio to the Kenwood R-600"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/em>Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Jim Meirose, who recently shared the following listener post:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Listener Post by Jim Meirose<\/strong><\/h2>\n

My interest in radio started around 1960-61. My uncle was going to take a giant worn-out console Record Player\/AM\/FM\/SW 1940s monstrosity to the dump. My father, who was an electrician and a general nut for all things electrical, stopped him, took the radio out before the console got trashed, put it in a makeshift cabinet, and showed me how to use it. That was how I got started.<\/p>\n

A neat thing about the radio was it had one of those old \u201cmagic eye\u201d tubes to aid in tuning. What could be cooler for a kid to play with? Plus, being able to hear all of what was to me just \u201cweird stuff\u201d on shortwave, was what got me hooked.<\/p>\n

After a year or two I got the Heathkit GR-91 as a gift and my father helped me assemble it. We also put up a better antenna.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

My Heathkit GR-91 and Q-mult I used starting in 1963, with a variety of antennas, up to 1971. (Stored in the cellar now, as you can see)<\/p><\/div>\n

I spent several years and many many hours listening and logging and having fun with it. We were at or near the peak of the sunspot cycle then, so as you can imagine, it was amazing. That made it a pretty \u201chot\u201d radio (although in that decade the high sunspots made most every radio \u201chot\u201d) but it had one flaw that was really bad. The tuning dial was not even close to accurate. I even had it professionally aligned, in vain. You only had a ballpark idea of what frequency you were on.<\/p>\n

The next problem with the GR-91 was that as you tuned up past around 14 MHz, a hum began and grew to where there was no point trying to listen at all for anything all the way up to 30 MHz. I gradually became most interested in 20 meter amateur radio listening.<\/p>\n

I learned to tune SSB, helped by the fact that the set had a good BFO and great bandspread tuning. From about 1964 to 1968, I heard hams from over 250 ARRL countries. These were mostly on 20 meters, using a dipole. Then, I got drafted to the Army until 1970, came back, and listened again until about 1972. Then, life took over, and the radio was put away.<\/p>\n

Around 2004, I started getting interested again. I got an old Hammarlund HQ-180, thinking to pick up where I left off in \u201972, but gave up when I found the sunspot cycle was bottomed out. Plus, the old set was too complicated and difficult to use, and not in the best shape. So, again, radio was put aside.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, early this year, having the time at last to do things right, after shopping around, I got the Kenwood R-600, put up a good antenna, and started in. Once I got in the groove again, I found the R-600 to be incredible. The reception is crystal-clear across all bands. Plus, lo and behold, with the digital dial I know EXACTLY what frequency I am on! And as far as DX, even with today\u2019s low sunspots, I am hearing the whole world, better than in the 60s. Might not be \u201cbooming in\u201d as they say, but still very cool. The key is to know when, where, and how to listen.<\/p>\n

Lastly, besides the better technology of the radio, imagine the difference between now and the \u201860s, when there was no internet, no computers, and practically no reliable hard copy directories to be found. At least with ham radio listening, it was easy to ID what country was on, because of the standardized call sign prefixes. But, for broadcast stations, the only real way to identify the more \u201cexotic\u201d non-english language stations, was by listening, sometimes for hours, hoping to catch some recognizable station ID. More often than not, this would never come before the station went off-air, or faded out. Today, with online directories, that is not such a problem. But, imagine how, with my GR-91, being unable to provide exact frequency readings, that even the modern online directories would have been practically useless.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it, there are the highlights of my shortwave experience from 1960 to today. Hope it was of interest.<\/p>\n

Thanks,<\/p>\n

Jim Meirose<\/p>\n

\n

Thank you, Jim, for sharing your radio journey!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jim’s radio story is the latest in our multi-year series called\u00a0Listener Posts<\/em><\/a>, where I place all of your personal radio histories. Feel free to submit your own by\u00a0contacting me<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jim Meirose, who recently shared the following listener post: Listener Post by Jim Meirose My interest in radio started around 1960-61. My uncle was going to take a giant worn-out console Record Player\/AM\/FM\/SW 1940s monstrosity to the dump. My father, who was an electrician and a general nut for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[545,2262,3,305,43],"tags":[8911,8592,8910,4122,34],"class_list":["post-46176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ham-radio","category-listener-posts","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-shortwave-radio","tag-heathkit-gr-91","tag-jim-meirose","tag-kenwood-r-600","tag-listener-posts","tag-shortwave"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-c0M","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52090,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/03\/jim-is-impressed-with-the-collins-75a-4-and-kenwood-r-600\/","url_meta":{"origin":46176,"position":0},"title":"Jim is impressed with the Collins 75A-4 and Kenwood R-600","author":"Thomas","date":"March 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jim Meirose, who recently shared a few photos and writes: \u00a0 This is the equipment currently in use here in Somerville, NJ. The Collins 75A-4 is a recent acquisition. This radio is used to cover all amateur bands. The other is the Kenwood R-600,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Collins-75a-4-Jim-Meirose-1-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Collins-75a-4-Jim-Meirose-1-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Collins-75a-4-Jim-Meirose-1-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Collins-75a-4-Jim-Meirose-1-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Collins-75a-4-Jim-Meirose-1-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43808,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/06\/help-jim-identify-this-mystery-shortwave-time-signal-station\/","url_meta":{"origin":46176,"position":1},"title":"Help Jim identify this mystery shortwave “time signal” station","author":"Thomas","date":"June 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jim Meirose, who recently logged a mystery signal and is asking for our help to identify it. Jim notes that it sounds much like a time signal and can be found on 4,806 kHz. Jim lives in the north east US and is receiving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/blurry-dial.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/blurry-dial.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/blurry-dial.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/blurry-dial.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44480,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/china-radio-international-jim-seeks-help-understanding-language-schedule-and-transmitter-locations\/","url_meta":{"origin":46176,"position":2},"title":"China Radio International: Jim seeks help understanding language schedule and transmitter locations","author":"Thomas","date":"July 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jim Meirose, who asks: Each day in NJ I am hearing China Radio International in German on 9.570 MHz. It \"fades in\" up out of the noise about 2 pm EDT, and strengthens until the broadcast signs off just before 3 pm (1800 UTC).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/CRI-Front.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/CRI-Front.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/CRI-Front.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/CRI-Front.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7932,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/listener-post-harold-woering\/","url_meta":{"origin":46176,"position":3},"title":"Listener Post: Harold Woering","author":"Thomas","date":"December 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Harold Woering\u00a0\u2019s radio story is the latest in our series called\u00a0Listener Posts, where I will place all of your personal radio histories. If you would like to add your story to the mix, simply\u00a0send your story by email! In the meantime, many thanks to Harold for sharing his personal radio\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Listener Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Listener Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/listener-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"KnightReceiver","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/KnightReceiver-300x184.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7661,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/10\/listener-post-ken-mckenzie\/","url_meta":{"origin":46176,"position":4},"title":"Listener Post: Ken McKenzie","author":"Thomas","date":"October 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Ken McKenzie's radio story is the latest in a new series called\u00a0Listener Posts, where I will place all of your personal radio histories. If you would like to add your story to the mix,\u00a0simply send your story by email! In the meantime,\u00a0many thanks\u00a0to Ken for sharing his personal radio history:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Listener Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Listener Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/listener-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Analog Radio Dial","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/swdial.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":28781,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/using-a-mixing-console-in-the-radio-shack\/","url_meta":{"origin":46176,"position":5},"title":"Using A Mixing Console in the Radio Shack","author":"Rob Wagner","date":"October 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As a result of numerous responses to another video I posted on my YouTube channel a few weeks ago, I have now prepared a video that gives you a detailed look at using the Behringer Xenyx Q802 USB mixing console. The unit is wired up to four receivers,\u00a0then sent off\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessories"","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Mixer-Insitu-REVISED.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Mixer-Insitu-REVISED.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Mixer-Insitu-REVISED.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Mixer-Insitu-REVISED.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Mixer-Insitu-REVISED.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Mixer-Insitu-REVISED.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46176\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}