{"id":63424,"date":"2025-07-20T08:10:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T12:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=63424"},"modified":"2025-07-20T08:10:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T12:10:56","slug":"bobs-radio-corner-the-last-radio-i-really-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/bobs-radio-corner-the-last-radio-i-really-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob&#8217;s Radio Corner: The Last Radio I Really Needed"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_63425\" style=\"width: 446px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-1-PL-660.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63425\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63425\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-1-PL-660.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"436\" height=\"407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-1-PL-660.jpg 436w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-1-PL-660-300x280.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 436px) 100vw, 436px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-63425\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My original PL-660 has high mileage but still<br \/>has its original kick stand and whip antenna.<\/p><\/div>\n<h1><b>The Last Radio I Really Needed<\/b><\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>By Bob Colegrove<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like most folks, I have a <i>favorite<\/i> radio.\u00a0 My favorite radio is the one I happen to be listening to at the time.\u00a0 Each radio has its own attractions.\u00a0 The fact that one particular radio is turned on indicates that, at least for the moment, it is my favorite.<\/p>\n<p>I also have a <i>special<\/i> radio.\u00a0 It is special because, ever since I bought it, there has never been a compelling reason to buy another radio.\u00a0 That said, there is no accounting for irrational behavior which has subsequently caused me to buy several more radios, always with the hope that the next radio would somehow provide better performance than my special radio.<\/p>\n<p>My longstanding experience has been with vacuum tube radios.\u00a0 I have used multiband radio consoles.\u00a0 I have used everything from a Hallicrafters S-38 to a Collins R-390A and most everything in between.\u00a0 I tried a couple of analog, multiband, solid-state portables in the 1960s and \u201870s.\u00a0 I bought a Sony ICF-2010 early on and still have two of them fully functional.\u00a0 For many years, the -2010s were my go-to radios.<\/p>\n<p>Then, I happened to read the review of the Tecsun PL-660 in the 2012 WRTH.\u00a0 The price seemed reasonable, and I decided to buy one.\u00a0 From the very beginning, I was not disappointed.\u00a0 Selectable sidebands and synchronous detection \u2013 not a Sony, but very good.\u00a0 Further, the -660 was notably smaller and packed quite easily.\u00a0 I could include a pair of earphones, a length of wire and this radio, set up away from the shack, and operate.<\/p>\n<p>So why is this radio special?\u00a0 It is not perfect.\u00a0 But for LW, MW, SW, and FM, there is nothing I can hear on any of my radios that I can\u2019t hear on the Tecsun PL-660.\u00a0 Reception seems to be especially sensitive and clear.<\/p>\n<p>I must qualify the claim above.\u00a0 <i>Normally I use external antennas.<\/i>\u00a0 External antennas are the great equalizers.\u00a0 Properly matched they make a radio perform at its best.\u00a0 Radio reviews and comparisons will often include judgements about sensitivity.\u00a0 Unfortunately, many reviewers do not specify the conditions under which they tested the radio.\u00a0 The reader must assume that these judgements are based on the use of <i>stock<\/i> internal antennas \u2014 most often the LW and MW ferrite loop and the SW and FM whip.\u00a0 For portable radios this makes sense, as internal antennas are paramount to the radio\u2019s transportable versatility.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Not Perfect<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>I will spare everyone yet another review of a radio now in its adolescent years.\u00a0 I merely focus on a couple of picks I have with the PL-660.\u00a0 There are others which are well documented.<\/p>\n<h3>Birdies<\/h3>\n<p>Probably the worst fault with the -660 is birdies.\u00a0 There are a few along the LW spectrum but the worst by far is one which generally appears between 950 kHz and 1000 kHz in the MW band.\u00a0 I have read where this is traceable to the DC-DC converter but have never found a remedy.\u00a0 This nasty signal is very rich in harmonics and will replicate through the entire SW spectrum.\u00a0 Further, the fundamental birdie and its harmonics tend to slowly drift upward for about an hour after the radio is turned on.\u00a0 The drift accelerates with multiples of harmonics.\u00a0 For example, while the fundamental birdie is creeping up 1 kHz, the second harmonic will travel 2 kHz, the third 3 kHz, and so forth.\u00a0 There are many harmonics where no harm is done; however, the 4th harmonic will blaze a trail squarely through the 80-meter ham band.\u00a0 Wait a while and it will drift onward but ultimately stop at some equally inconvenient location.<\/p>\n<h3>Poor Encoder<\/h3>\n<p>The PL-660 tuning encoder, as with its cousins in the -600 and the -680, is \u2026 well, very poor.\u00a0 From the get-go it will jump erratically forward or backward.\u00a0 This becomes worse over time, particularly with any prolonged periods of disuse.\u00a0 I have not determined whether this is dirt, poor contact, or just poor design.\u00a0 I have found that vigorous exercise forward and backward with the tuning knob is the best temporary remedy.\u00a0 This will generally bring the encoder back to tolerable performance.<\/p>\n<p>Replacement encoders are available at modest cost.\u00a0 I went this route as a last resort but managed to lay up my -660 for several months having failed to make the replacement work at all on the first attempt.\u00a0 A few months later with renewed determination, followed by a series of deep cleansing breaths, I reopened the radio and discovered that my mistake was just a solder bridge between two of the encoder pins.\u00a0 Note to self: For the future, this surgery should only be performed by people with good vision and steady hands.\u00a0 After several months of storage there was unbounded joy when the 12-year-old -660 came alive and began to tune perfectly \u2013 well as perfectly as it could.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-2-encoder.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-63426\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-2-encoder.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"425\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-2-encoder.jpg 984w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-2-encoder-300x257.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-2-encoder-768x659.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-2-encoder-624x535.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>My Mods<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>One of the reasons why the Tecsun PL-660 is special to me is that it is a tangible link to my tinkering past.\u00a0 In former times, much satisfaction was obtained by aligning RF and IF stages, restringing dial cords, and replacing leaky capacitors.\u00a0 For most tinkers, the advent of large-scale, solid-state integration and surface-mounted components has made tinkering virtually impossible.\u00a0 Detailed data are scarce, parts much more specialized, and soldering skills more demanding.<\/p>\n<p>The PL-660 came along at a point where vacuum tube tinkering was still within recent memory and the skills for maintaining and modifying high-tech radios had not become so intimidating.\u00a0 To summarize, with just a few exceptions, today\u2019s radios are for all practical purposes unrepairable, unmodifiable, and therefore more readily disposable.\u00a0 What a pity.\u00a0 The term \u201cparted out\u201d has entered our vocabulary, whereby a defective radio is cannibalized to provide its serviceable vital organs to its remaining siblings.<\/p>\n<h3>Dynamic Squelch<\/h3>\n<p>Briefly, the Tecsun PL-660 dynamic squelch function automatically adjusts the signal threshold based on its strength.\u00a0 Ostensibly, this helps prevent the radio from being overwhelmed by noise when no signal is present while still allowing strong signals to be heard.\u00a0 The \u201cdynamic\u201d part of the term refers to the feature turning itself on or off as the situation demands.\u00a0 The downside is twofold:\u00a0 a) weak signals may be totally blocked with squelch engaged; and b) the feature may oscillate on an off as a signal fades and then gets stronger.\u00a0 There are several demonstrations of this on YouTube.<\/p>\n<p>In 2012, a Russian radiofile managed to identify the transistor that switched the feature on and off.\u00a0 By the simple expedient of grounding one of its leads, it could be permanently turned off, eliminating its drawbacks.\u00a0 An optional further modification provided for the tone control switch to be repurposed to manually enable or disable the basic modification.<\/p>\n<p>The relatively simple concept turned out to be rather involved surgery requiring a large metal circuit shield to be unsoldered and removed to access the transistor.\u00a0 The old Yahoo PL-660 Group was abuzz with interest at the time.\u00a0 Many folks were doing the modification.\u00a0 Had it not been discussed so widely, I would likely have ignored it.\u00a0 But being a wild, impulsive 70-year-old at the time, I had to give it a go and fortunately was successful.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_63427\" style=\"width: 496px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-3-shield.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63427\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63427\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-3-shield.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"486\" height=\"396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-3-shield.jpg 486w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-3-shield-300x244.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 486px) 100vw, 486px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-63427\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Disablement of the dynamic squelch required removal of a shield on PCB<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>External LW and MW antennas<\/h3>\n<p>I do not like to be limited by the lack of an external LW\/MW antenna connection.\u00a0 The PL-660 has no means to switch one on.\u00a0 You can easily inductively couple an AN-100\/200 or Terk Advantage loop and get good results, but I wanted more.\u00a0 I took the classic approach of winding a 5-turn transfer coil around the ferrite bar.\u00a0 Initially I simply connected this to a twisted pair which ran out the unused hole for the wrist strap.\u00a0 The twisted pair was connected to a phone jack and dangled out of the radio like a pig tail.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_63428\" style=\"width: 910px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-4-pigtail.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63428\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63428\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-4-pigtail.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-4-pigtail.jpg 900w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-4-pigtail-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-4-pigtail-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-4-pigtail-624x416.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-63428\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pigtail used the hole in the case vacated by the wrist strap.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Sometime after my mod, Geir Laastad, LA6LU, published a paper with a much more elegant solution.\u00a0 He discovered that the PL-880 used a stereo external antenna jack, the center (ring) terminal was not used, and the cumbersome pigtail could be eliminated by connecting the added transfer coil between this center terminal on the jack and the radio ground.\u00a0 This necessitated use of a stereo plug to mate with the jack for connection of a LW\/MW external antenna, but the jack could otherwise be used normally for SW.\u00a0 I found that Tecsun used the same stereo jack approach on the -600, -660, and -680, and was able to connect the transfer coil to each radio the same way.\u00a0 Geir\u2019s paper is at <a href=\"https:\/\/groups.io\/g\/Tecsun-PL-880\/files\/_Tecsun_PL-880_LW_&amp;_MW_Antenna_Mod.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/groups.io\/g\/Tecsun-PL-880\/files\/_Tecsun_PL-880_LW_&amp;_MW_Antenna_Mod.pdf<\/a>, but you may have to request membership in the group to download it.<\/p>\n<h3>Enlarged fine tuning knob<\/h3>\n<p>One of the weak features of the -600, -660 and -680 is the fine-tuning pot.\u00a0 Zero-beating a signal is a bit touchy.\u00a0 The problem is exacerbated by a mechanical detent in the control\u2019s center of rotation, that is, the point where zero beat is likely to be encountered.\u00a0 I found a foam, doughnut-shaped packing spacer from a spindle of CDs had just the right internal and external diameters to slip over the fine-tuning knob and provide some added gear reduction.\u00a0 By pressing the foam against the case, the effects of the detent could be mitigated.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-5-knob.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-63429\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-5-knob.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"414\" height=\"327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-5-knob.jpg 414w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-5-knob-300x237.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 414px) 100vw, 414px\" \/><\/a>Well, unfortunately, CDs are going the way of cassette tapes these days, so the availability of the packing spacers may not be so good.\u00a0 It may be within the realm of possibility to fabricate one.<\/p>\n<h3>Wrist Strap<\/h3>\n<p>My final alteration is not so much a modification as it is a simple omission.\u00a0 On the first disassembly of the -660 I omitted reinstalling the wrist strap.\u00a0 IMHO, this piece of ribbon is no more useful than fender skirts on a \u201957 Chevy.\u00a0 Besides, it\u2019s usually in the way.\u00a0 Sometime in the murky past, this appendage made its appearance on a small portable radio.\u00a0 Since then, nearly every manufacturer has felt compelled to include one.\u00a0 I envision someone grabbing the radio by the strap and sashaying down the street with it dangling precariously by one\u2019s side.\u00a0 I have tried to imagine how its purpose might be inverted into a safety feature \u2013 perhaps first looping the strap around the wrist and then grabbing the radio with the hand.\u00a0 But somehow, I can\u2019t imagine anyone going to that trouble.\u00a0 Maybe I\u2019m missing something.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_63430\" style=\"width: 1093px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-6-Realistic.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63430\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63430\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-6-Realistic.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1083\" height=\"1122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-6-Realistic.jpg 1083w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-6-Realistic-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-6-Realistic-988x1024.jpg 988w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-6-Realistic-768x796.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fig-6-Realistic-624x646.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1083px) 100vw, 1083px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-63430\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The wrist strap on this Realistic 12-714 AM\/FM pocket radio from 1984 is hard to ignore.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The reader may be aware of other modifications to the PL-660, but mine are limited to those described above.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Epilogue<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The old -660 has never been coddled.\u00a0 Neither has it been subjected to the same vicissitudes as a soccer ball.\u00a0 It remains a relatively handsome, finely crafted instrument still capable of soldiering on in the frontlines of the DX battle.<\/p>\n<p>Is my old PL-660 a better-than-average \u201ccreampuff\u201d off the Tecsun production line?\u00a0 Does that make it special?\u00a0 During the three or four months it was laid up with the encoder problem, I took the precaution of buying one of the last production units \u2013 this on the chance it might be my only opportunity of having an operational PL-660.\u00a0 The newer one looks like its predecessor; it operates like its predecessor, even to the extent that it has the same birdies and the erratic encoder.\u00a0 It does have the added feature of dial recalibration \u2013 a feature totally unnecessary on the original PL-660.\u00a0 Somehow, it\u2019s just not the old PL-660.\u00a0 That one is special.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe you have a <i>special<\/i> radio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Last Radio I Really Needed By Bob Colegrove Like most folks, I have a favorite radio.\u00a0 My favorite radio is the one I happen to be listening to at the time.\u00a0 Each radio has its own attractions.\u00a0 The fact that one particular radio is turned on indicates that, at least for the moment, it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[3,305,3196,7566,26,43],"tags":[7988,10732,149,4094,9284,330],"class_list":["post-63424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-portable-radio","category-radio-memories","category-radios","category-shortwave-radio","tag-bob-colegrove","tag-bobs-radio-corner","tag-mods","tag-nostalgia","tag-radio-mods","tag-tecsun-pl-660"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-guY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":64316,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/bobs-radio-corner-shortwave-multiplex\/","url_meta":{"origin":63424,"position":0},"title":"Bob&#8217;s Radio Corner: Shortwave Multiplex?","author":"Thomas","date":"October 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Reported by Bob Colegrove Incurable DXers are always looking for new challenges.\u00a0 So it was, I recently did some scanning between 42 and 45 meters (~6600 to 7000 kHz).\u00a0 Trenton Military on 6754 kHz and the MARS net on 6913 kHz are regulars here, as are a selection of pirates\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","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\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49864,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/bob-colegrove-on-the-joys-and-challenges-of-tuning-analog-radios\/","url_meta":{"origin":63424,"position":1},"title":"Bob Colegrove on &#8220;The Joys and Challenges of Tuning Analog Radios&#8221;","author":"Thomas","date":"August 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove, who recently shared this excellent article and has kindly allowed me to share it here in the the Post. Bob prefaced it by saying, \"Being a retired technical writer, I started the attached article some time ago for my own amusement, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61740,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/the-curious-case-of-the-nibi-nibi-islands\/","url_meta":{"origin":63424,"position":2},"title":"Bob&#8217;s Radio Corner: The Curious Case of the Nibi-Nibi Islands","author":"Thomas","date":"January 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Bob Colegrove, who writes: Hi Thomas, No mention of UTC or frequency in the attached. Made my day, but some folks apparently were not amused. Source was \"Short-Wave Report\" by Hank Bennett, Popular Electronics, Ziff-Davis Publishing Co., New York, p. 86, March 1959. Regards,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Funny&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Funny","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/funny\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61368,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/bobs-1968-radio-tirana-qsl-card\/","url_meta":{"origin":63424,"position":3},"title":"Bob&#8217;s 1968 Radio Tirana QSL Card","author":"Thomas","date":"December 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Bob Colegrove, who writes: Kudos to Don Moore for his excellently crafted article on Albanian radio. [...]Perhaps some might be interested to see a 1968 QSL from R. Tirana. Regards, Bob Colegrove Thank you for sharing this excellent Radio Tirana QSL card, Bob!","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","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\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62518,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/bobs-radio-corner-buttons-knobs-and-switches\/","url_meta":{"origin":63424,"position":4},"title":"Bob\u2019s Radio Corner: Buttons, Knobs, and Switches","author":"Thomas","date":"April 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Pressing Buttons. Twirling Knobs and Throwing Switches By Bob Colegrove Move along.\u00a0 Nothing informative to read here, just the wandering of an idle mind scheming with meandering fingers on a keyboard.\u00a0 On the other hand, if your curiosity can\u2019t be controlled, consider that a significant amount of enjoyment in this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image6.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image6.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64459,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/bobs-radio-corner-its-dx-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":63424,"position":5},"title":"Bob&#8217;s Radio Corner: It\u2019s DX Season","author":"Thomas","date":"November 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Noted by Bob Colegrove In the Northern Hemisphere the nights continue to get longer as we approach the winter solstice; we gain an hour of early evening darkness on Sunday, November 2nd; the summer atmospheric disturbances are nearly gone; propagation is better.\u00a0 It\u2019s time to set aside the activities of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;DX&quot;","block_context":{"text":"DX","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/dx\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Fig-2.-Oswald.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63424","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=63424"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63432,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63424\/revisions\/63432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}