{"id":9133,"date":"2014-03-30T08:56:30","date_gmt":"2014-03-30T12:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=9133"},"modified":"2014-03-30T08:56:30","modified_gmt":"2014-03-30T12:56:30","slug":"listener-post-chris-freitas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/listener-post-chris-freitas\/","title":{"rendered":"Listener Post: Chris Freitas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Analog<\/a>Chris Freitas\u2019 radio story is the latest in a\u00a0our series called\u00a0Listener Posts<\/em><\/a>, where I will place all of your personal radio histories.<\/p>\n

If you would like to add\u00a0your story<\/a>\u00a0to the mix,\u00a0simply send your story by email<\/a>!<\/p>\n

In the meantime,\u00a0many thanks<\/em>\u00a0to Chris for sharing his personal radio history (note that Chris has also posted this story on his new blog<\/a>):<\/p>\n

\n

Chris Freitas<\/h2>\n

I have an interesting story on how I got into shortwave radio. Let\u2019s hop into the Tardis and go back to 1997. Being 13 years old, a young Chris Freitas was a member of the Boy Scouts.<\/p>\n

Because I was a part of this organization,\u00a0Boy\u2019s Life<\/em>\u00a0magazine shipped to my mailbox each month. In the December 1997 issue, there was an article titled \u201cTune In To The World<\/a>.\u201d This printed piece literally changed my life.<\/p>\n

\"BoysLife-Shortwave\"<\/a><\/p>\n

While reading the article, I was amazed that there were radios capable of receiving global signals. There had to be more information. Thus, I went to the Millington Public Library (Millington is\u00a0a suburb north of Memphis, TN and my hometown).<\/p>\n

Using\u00a0slow dial-up internet and reading\u00a0Passport to World Band Radio<\/em><\/a>, I learned more about shortwave radio, international stations, and frequencies. Before buying one at Radio Shack, there was an epiphany.<\/p>\n

I already owned a shortwave radio and just realized it at that moment.\u00a0Months before reading the\u00a0article, my next-door neighbor friend sold me his radio for\u00a0$25.<\/p>\n

\"BBC-WorldService\"<\/a>I thought it was neat. It was my first shortwave radio: the Worldstar Multi Band Receiver MG 6100 sold by Sears.<\/p>\n

My first two years as an SWL were amazing. I would sit outside on weekends with my radio and listen to the BBC, RTI, RCI, HCJB, VOA, RNW, and many others.<\/p>\n

A QSL collection grew and station stickers littered the top of my radio. I wrote to\u00a0Boy\u2019s Life<\/em>\u00a0about it and they paid me some money for the\u00a0article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There were great programs like Musical Mailbag, live sports, DX Partyline, and Play of the Week that I would tune into every week. My parents \u201cloved\u201d it, as I annoyed them\u00a0with loud static.<\/p>\n

\"Chris'<\/a>

Chris’ DX-397<\/p><\/div>\n

Unfortunately with\u00a0all good things, the band knob on my Worldstar radio broke. However, my father conceded to a birthday wish and bought me a Radio Shack DX-397 (my dad told me that he still has it).<\/p>\n

I also bought a book from Radio Shack titled\u00a0Listening To Shortwave<\/em><\/a>. Even for the late \u201990s, it was a bit outdated but there were some interesting tips about shortwave.<\/p>\n

It also came packaged with a cassette tape (Yes, I still remember them). It was called \u201cSounds of Shortwave.\u201d If you want to listen, here\u2019s\u00a0Side A<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Side B<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After three years of shortwave radio listening, it was not\u00a0long\u00a0before changing my childhood dream of becoming a TV weatherman (I had a crazy fascination with weather and still do). Instead, I wanted to be a radio announcer (or at least work at a station).<\/p>\n

In 2000, the Delta Amateur Radio Club was present at a \u201cScout Base\u201d on Naval Support Activity Mid-South. It was there that\u00a0I earned my radio merit badge and perhaps my first\u00a0on-air appearance.<\/p>\n

Since then, I\u2019ve been to college and earned my Bachelor\u2019s of Arts in Communications. I am now working part-time at a local radio station. I have yet worked at an international station, but still pursuing that endeavor.<\/p>\n

\"Chris'<\/a>

Chris’ Tecsun PL-660<\/p><\/div>\n

Several stations like the BBC, Radio Canada, and Radio Netherlands left shortwave in North America. I have also been through various radios including the Grundig Mini World 300 PE, Eton E5, and Sony ICF-7600GR.<\/p>\n

As of now, I am using a Tecsun PL-660 and I love it. Although there are fewer stations on shortwave these days, I still\u00a0enjoy tuning the bands to catch some exciting sounds halfway around the world.<\/p>\n

\n

Many thanks, Chris, for sharing your story.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 I think it’s wonderful that you learned about shortwave radio through <\/em>Boy’s Life<\/em> magazine. I attend the Dayton Hamvention every year and one of the highlights is that SWLing Post readers stop by my ETOW<\/a> table to introduce themselves. A number of younger listeners have told me that they learned about shortwave radio through Boy Scouts<\/em>–no doubt due to the number of Scout Masters who are hams that “propagate” their love of radio.<\/p>\n

I encourage you to check out Chris’ new blog<\/a> and his page on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Readers:<\/strong>\u00a0Please click here to read our growing collection of Listener Posts<\/a>, and please consider submitting your own story!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chris Freitas\u2019 radio story is the latest in a\u00a0our series called\u00a0Listener Posts, where I will place all of your personal radio histories. If you would like to add\u00a0your story\u00a0to the mix,\u00a0simply send your story by email! In the meantime,\u00a0many thanks\u00a0to Chris for sharing his personal radio history (note that Chris has also posted this story […]<\/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":[8,2262,43],"tags":[2604,4122,758,2259,757],"class_list":["post-9133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-listener-posts","category-shortwave-radio","tag-chris-freitas","tag-listener-posts","tag-radio-stories","tag-swl-stories","tag-your-radio-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-2nj","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8839,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/02\/chris-is-sticking-with-his-trusty-tecsun-pl-660\/","url_meta":{"origin":9133,"position":0},"title":"Chris is sticking with his trusty Tecsun PL-660","author":"Thomas","date":"February 24, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Shortwave listener and radio producer, Chris Freitas, recently posted an article on his blog touting the Tecsun PL-660 as his shortwave portable of choice. Click here to check out his post.","rel":"","context":"In "Radios"","block_context":{"text":"Radios","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/radios\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Chris' Tecsun PL-660","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/ChrisFreitasPL-660-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7699,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/11\/listener-post-chris-dandrea\/","url_meta":{"origin":9133,"position":1},"title":"Listener Post: Chris Dandrea","author":"Thomas","date":"November 12, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Chris Dandrea\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 Chris 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":"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":13957,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/chris-reviews-the-sangean-wr-22\/","url_meta":{"origin":9133,"position":2},"title":"Chris reviews the Sangean WR-22","author":"Thomas","date":"July 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Chris Freitas, who has informed me about a review he just published of the\u00a0Sangean WR-22 AM\/FM clock radio. Click here to read Chris' full review on his blog.","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Sangean WR-22 (Source: Chris Freitas)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Sangean-WR-22.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Sangean-WR-22.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Sangean-WR-22.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12356,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/02\/chris-retro-review-of-the-radio-shack-dx-397-sangean-sg-622\/","url_meta":{"origin":9133,"position":3},"title":"Chris’ Retro Review of the Radio Shack DX-397 (Sangean SG-622)","author":"Thomas","date":"February 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"SWLing Post reader, Chris Freitas, has sent me a link to a recent review he made of the RadioShack DX-397. I know many of us have had one of these little analog radios (branded as RadioShack or the original Sangean SG-622) at some point. Chris has fond memories of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SangeanSG-622","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/SangeanSG-622.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":40660,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/radio-deal-the-new-eton-elite-field-78-99-with-free-one-day-shipping\/","url_meta":{"origin":9133,"position":4},"title":"Radio Deal: The new Eton Elite Field $78.99 with free one day shipping","author":"Thomas","date":"November 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Freitas, who notes that the new Eton Elite Field radio is on a \"limited time\" sale at Amazon.com. The price is a very enticing $78.00 with free one day shipping and free returns. Click here to view on Amazon.com (this affiliate link supports\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Deals"","block_context":{"text":"Deals","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/deals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-17-at-08.09.26.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-17-at-08.09.26.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-17-at-08.09.26.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-17-at-08.09.26.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20901,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/ebay-sighting-eton-e1\/","url_meta":{"origin":9133,"position":5},"title":"eBay sighting: Eton E1","author":"Thomas","date":"August 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Freitas, who writes: I came across this find on eBay. I was tempted to buy one myself, but I am content with the PL-680 I have right now. However, some SWLing Post readers may want to check it out: Click here to view\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"E1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/E1-e1472426808167.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/E1-e1472426808167.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/E1-e1472426808167.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/E1-e1472426808167.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9133","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=9133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9133\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}