Monthly Archives: December 2013

Tecsun Releases New PL-880 Portable

tecsun_pl880

Thanks to Tony King for passing along news of a new portable on offer from Tecsun. And if you don’t like those narrow, fiddly tuning knobs of most portables, this will be on your present list!

Here’s an excellent review and plenty more info from the SWL Info blog.

Radio Aspidistra, British WW2 Black Op Station

apidistraThanks to Paul Rawdon for posting the following to the DX Dialog user-group:

A drama/documentary about the once famed, but now largely forgotten ‘Radio Aspidistra’. The brainchild of The Daily Express columnist, Sefton Delmar, Radio Aspidistra – under its many guises as ‘The Soldiers Radio Calais’, and ‘Radio Atlantic’ etc.; in German language for its intended German audience, became a vital part of Britain’s wartime ‘Black Operations’ broadcasts in WW2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk6xdkhkMzw

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“Cherry Ripe” – The Numbers Station

randomnumbers

From the Wireless Institute of Australia News bulletin 27/12/13: In our world of Radio Communications over the years maybe the Weirdest you may have come across are what are known as “The Numbers Stations.”

Many have heard of the Cuban numbers being read by a female, but here in VK Cherry Ripe was the nickname of a mysterious, powerful shortwave numbers station that used several bars from the English folk song “Cherry Ripe” as an interval signal. The station was believed to be operated by the British Secret Intelligence Service and to have emanated from Australia.

Voice of Russia Continues On SW

vor_qsl

Reminiscent of a Mark Twain’s quote “rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated”, the Voice of Russia is not closing down!

They have been merged with another media agnecy and they have had their transmission hours curtailed.

Here is their 2014 schedule from Wolfgang Bueschel:

RUSSIA   Full schedule of broadcasting WGD “Voice of Russia” in the winter
season B-13, since January 1, 2014.
automatic translation by Google translator

language       UTC       transmitter   kHz   kW direction notes

Pioneer DXers Recalled in Radio Documentary

Jack Fox

Jack Fox

ATCushen

Arthur Cushen

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Bryan Clark for posting the following on the DX Dialog user-group: Thanks to a tip from Peter Grenfell in Oamaru, I have just heard an 11
minute excerpt of a documentary by Jack Perkins called “Germany Calling”
replayed on Radio NZ National around 10.00am this morning.

It includes reference to DX League pioneers Arthur Cushen and Jack Fox,
and audio from Jack and Arthur (very briefly) about the wartime
monitoring service they set up.

You can listen too at:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/2581159

A Day In The Life Of Radio Caroline

 

caroline

 

Thanks to Paul Rawdon for posting the following on the DX Dialog user-group: The 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s saw the evolution of a new type of radio broadcasting around the British Isles. With the BBC being considered as a dinosaur completely out of touch with the younger generation, a number of brave souls decided to do something about it. “Pirate Radio” was born.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URl4bW5uoO0

Ross Revenge Radio Caroline

Ross Revenge Radio Caroline (Photo credit: mrrobertwade (wadey))

 

Changes Ahead For The VOA

voa_qsl

David Ensor may be at once on the side of the angels and the wrong side of history. A former CNN and ABC correspondent, he heads the Voice of America, a proud, underfinanced and embattled government media agency that’s part of a little-known amalgam of Cold War relics that mix virtue, ideological necessity and a whiff of anachronism. Read more at the New York Daily News website.

 

Admiral Byrd’s Ancient Tweets From Antarctica

Admiral Richard E. Byrd

Admiral Richard E. Byrd (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here’s an interesting notion; that shortwave was the first medium for “tweeting”.

This article from the Daily Caller throws a modern spin on shortwave, or is that a historic spin on tweeting?? Using the “ancient” reference is maybe a sad indication of how far removed Shortwave is from modern technology!

 

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Trucker’s Radio On Shortwave

mgihtykbc

Those familiar with the US AM rafio dial, will now that stations like KRVN and WWL have long catered for truckies hauling their loads across the USA. There is a more international trucker’s radio, the Mighty KBC. This article from the Radio Survivor website explains.