cobalt pet: shortwave / mediumwave weblog

taiwan reconsidering north american shortwave broadcasting

2008-05-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

A reader named Chuck E. wrote:

Weatherall and all SWLs,

We have a big problem. Radio Taiwan Int'l has just revealed that their management is considering ENDING SHORTWAVE BROADCASTS TO THE USA on 5950 and 9680. They are seeking listener comments on this. We can't let this happen, RTI is one of the best SW broadcasters we have left. Here is the contact email for comments on this:

paula@rti.org.tw

Please ask RTI to continue SW transmissions!

I agree that RTI is one of the best shortwave broadcasters. Taiwan isn't just a normal place, it is facing tensions from China over issues of ownership and independence. I've mentioned here before that I won't listen to a station's internet broadcast once their shortwave broadcast goes away.

My letter has been sent to the above address, and those of you who enjoy RTI's content via shortwave broadcasting are encouraged to also send them a message.

reader question: eton e5 versus sony icf sw7600gr

2008-03-22T18:08:00.001-07:00

This question was recently submitted by Pete:

If you were about to be abducted by aliens and you could only take one SW portable with you, would it be the Sony SW7600GR or the Eton E5? I live on the West Coast too, so I'm interested in your opinion of the two radios. I'm primarily interested in their SW performance.

Send those aliens my way! I'm ready for a vacation.

Without recently comparing these two radios side-by-side for shortwave performance, I have an overall preference for the Eton E5. The Eton E5 is smaller, produces better treble response through the speaker, and has the continuous non-muting tuning knob. The E5's tuning knob is great for band scanning. The SW7600GR offers AM synchronous detection, but in my experience, it has only slightly improved already-usable signals. (I risk angering some readers with that comment, but I'm always willing to hear your opinions!) My SW7600GR is rarely used these days; the E5 is my main receiver for mediumwave DX and shortwave.

beeping ka2100 buttons question

2008-03-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

An anonymous reader posted the following recently, and I'm putting it on the main page so more people can see, and perhaps respond, to it:

Just got a KA2100 and am impressed so far. Good service from Universal Radio. KGO in San Francisco comes in crystal clear 1000 Mi away in BC. Still playing with SW. Anyone know how to turn off the beep when the buttons are pressed?

By the way, nice job catching KGO, which is here in my hometown.

quotes collected during mediumwave dxing

2008-03-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

While attempting to identify mediumwave stations in the past couple months, I write some non-identifying quotes from the radio into my log. Since I'm not ready to post my mediumwave dx results, I thought I'd share some of these quotes. Since I didn't know the callsign in every case, I'll just list the frequency. I could post a reaction to many of these, but I thought I'd let you readers have the first shot at it.

• "The show is done; you can unbuckle the seatbelt." (540 kHz)
• "It's like an almanac on crack." (550 kHz)
• "20 billion dollars worth of arms. ...precise guided weapons... moving into the Saudis' large and growing arsenal." (560 kHz)
• "Think twice before starting that food fight." (740 kHz)
• "Folks, now more than ever, we need a joint product we can trust." (770 kHz)
• "You're like a two-year-old... you just keep playing with that thing!" (860 kHz)
• "Too bad they're unable to stop their opponent from scoring!" (950 kHz)
• "You can always go to surgery as a last resort." (960 kHz)
• "We happen to do it in a studio. You can do it anywhere in America!" (970 kHz)
• "150,000 watts of pure San Diego power." (1090 kHz)
• "I've never done steroids." "No, you've just done donuts." (1120 kHz)
• "A family of twin sisters recognized by the Guinness book of world records..." (1130 kHz)
• "My brother... mi hermano." (1170 kHz)
• "You've gotta get your kids out of the government schools." (1180 kHz)
• "Who cares if you kill yourself if you're a child molester?" (1360 kHz)

mediumwave dx vs. hd radio

2008-03-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

While trying to log mediumwave stations this year, I have encountered a new problem. The mediumwave band now contains harmful interference where once it contained AM stations. The introduction of HD radio on the AM broadcast band may be to blame.

I expect the occasional instance of adjacent channel interference. I may hear a strong signal on 1400 kHz, then hear remnants of that same signal when tuned to 1410 kHz. Compensating for this problem usually involves enabling the narrow filter on a radio, tuning further away from the interference source (such as going to 1412 kHz for example), or a combination of the two. With the noise that I'm now hearing surrounding some HD broadcasts, these methods are ineffective as the noise is overwhelming.

Here are the stations that I have logged, which have harmful noise on both adjacent channels (plus and minus 10 kHz). I'll also list stations that I logged back in 2006, but will likely no longer hear as a result of adjacent channel interference. Listening tests to confirm the presence of noise on the adjacent frequencies were performed with my Eton E5 on 02 March 2008.

• 740 KCBS: Sometime in 2008, KCBS began identifying itself as "KCBS and KCBS HD". An email exchange with the station reveals that their HD broadcast is running 24/7. 730 kHz and 750 kHz are now so noisy that no stations can be identified on these frequencies. So this eliminates 730 CHMJ (Vancouver, BC, Canada), 750 KHWG (Fallon, NV), 750 KOAL (Price, UT), and 750 KXL (Portland, OR).

• 910 KNEW: Their website says "Broadcasting in HD radio." This eliminates 900 CKMO (Victoria, BC, Canada), 900 KBIF (Fresno, CA), 920 KIHM (Reno, NV), 920 KVIN (Ceres, CA), and 920 KXLY (Spokane, WA).

• 960 KKGN: This station used to be KQKE until August 2007. Their website includes an "HD radio" logo. This will eliminate 950 KAHI (Sacramento, CA), and 970 KCMD (Portland, OR).

• 1050 KNBR: This is an odd one. KNBR is the callsign here for both 680 and 1050. The 680 frequency does not have adjacent channel interference on 670 and 690. I don't know why only 1050 would use HD. The only confirmation I have for my suspicion of an HD broadcast on 1050 is Wikipedia. Fortunately, I have not previously logged any stations on 1040 or 1060.

• 1310 KMKY: Oh great, Radio Disney with its numerous stations will use HD radio too? I could not find evidence of the HD broadcast on the Radio Disney website, but I found it on the iBiquity station list for California. This eliminates 1300 KCMY (Carson City, NV) and 1320 KCTC (Sacramento, CA).

first canadian am station logged

2008-02-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

I just logged my first Canadian AM station in this current mediumwave DX project: AM 690 CBU (CBC Radio One) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. CBU uses a 50 kW transmitter, and the station is approximately 800 miles from me. This station was received by my Eton E5 with no external antenna. I previously logged this station during my autumn 2006 mediumwave DX project.

The signal is strong and clear, and currently features a show with an eclectic music selection. For example, a Paul Anka song was followed by "Woman from Tokyo" by Deep Purple. According to www.cbc.ca, this show is "In the key of Charles", hosted by Gregory Charles. At times, he plays a piano and sings along. I like it! I don't think I've ever heard a radio show like this before.

nimh batteries with reduced self-discharge

2008-02-23T18:10:00.000-08:00

I used to be a big user of rechargeable NiMH batteries in my radios. My Eton E5 has more recently been living on alkaline batteries, and they seem to provide a much longer lifespan than the Energizer rechargeables I was using. Also, when traveling, I always packed a spare set of alkaline batteries instead of my battery charger.

Experiencing the poor lifespan of NiMH batteries in my radios led me to take action. First, I obtained a battery charger that was capable of fully charging the 2500 mAh Energizer NiMH batteries that I was using. Second, I researched the self-discharge property of NiMH batteries with the help of reader comments and some Internet searches.

While researching batteries, I learned about a new type of rechargeable NiMH battery that greatly reduced the self-discharge effect. Sanyo's eneloop batteries are one example of this new battery type, and in September 2006, I obtained a 4-pack of 2000 mAh NiMH eneloop batteries for $11.99 plus shipping.

When the batteries arrived, I immediately took them out of the packaging to measure their voltage levels with my volt meter. All of the batteries reported 1.31 volts. What happened next was not intended, but it happened. The batteries wandered around my apartment, unused, for 17 months. Well, they surfaced again, and the alkalines in my E5 just ran out. So I measured the eneloop batteries again (they all reported 1.30 volts today), then put them into my E5. So my Eton E5 is back on rechargeables, and these eneloop batteries only lost 0.01 volts after 17 months.

wwvh transmitter antenna upgrade

2008-02-20T06:45:00.000-08:00

Shortwave transmitter antennas have been upgraded at WWVH, a NIST radio station in Hawaii.

In a seven-year project to adopt a technology used on Navy ships, NIST has installed new antennas encased in fiberglass rather than traditional steel supports, to resist corrosion from the salty ocean air. ... NIST staff believe the project is the first demonstration of high-powered, high-frequency fiberglass antennas on land.

Have any of you heard any changes in WWVH service? I continue to get decent WWVH reception here during the day on 10 mhz and 15 mhz. I'll have to try for 2.5 mhz and 5 mhz at night.

radio marti recording: 02 february 2008

2008-02-16T13:08:00.000-08:00

This is a 30-minute recording of Radio Marti on 13820 khz. According to martinoticias.com's frequency list, this broadcast originated in Greenville, NC.

I heard this broadcast during a shortwave scan, and was surprised to hear a strong Radio Marti signal that was mostly free of a jamming signal. You might hear a faint trace of Cuba's bubble jammer in this recording.

I don't know Spanish, so I can't discuss the program contents. Top-of-the-hour identification can be heard starting at 6 minutes and 40 seconds into the recording. Another notable section is at 25 minutes and 48 seconds when there's an English recording. I'm always amused to hear English used as the backdrop over which a translation is spoken. That part is about Raul Castro's Cuban government.

If you understand Spanish, you're welcome to share your comments about the program contents. And let me know if you encounter any problems with the embedded media player.

bbc discontinuing shortwave to europe

2008-02-12T09:57:00.000-08:00

Bad news for fans of the BBC's shortwave transmissions in Europe, as well as in other locations where the European transmissions could be heard. Quoting bbc.co.uk:

The remaining BBC World Service shortwave transmissions to Europe will close on 18th February 2008.

This change is being made in line with listener trends in radio. Increasing numbers of people around the world are choosing to listen to radio on a range of other platforms including FM, satellite and online, with fewer listening on shortwave.

This news came to me via Google News. More information is provided on bbc.co.uk. I haven't followed this story too carefully, so I don't know whether there are shortwave transmitters that will be repurposed or shut down as a result.

winter am dx is on

2008-02-09T21:10:00.000-08:00

I'm in the early stages of a winter mediumwave (am) DX project. I just confirmed the identification of my 17th station, KOMO 1000 in Seattle, Washington, which is approximately 750 miles away. My Eton E5 is doing the heavy lifting.

kaito ka11 first look

2008-02-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

Gadget-lust caused me to purchase a Kaito KA11 sometime last year. It is redundant in my radio collection, but I wanted it anyway because it is tiny, attractive, and offers good functionality. And Kaito has a reputation for producing high-quality radios. Let's take a look at this little thing:

I paid US$50.90 for the radio, US$9.95 for shipping, and received it from Florida in about one week. Simply opening the product box was enough to elicit shock from me over how small this radio is. The KA11 is smaller but heavier than the WRX911, and features a numeric keypad.

Here are the positive aspects of the KA11:

solid, firm enclosure
the side-mounted antenna has a hinge all the way at the bottom, so you can pull the entire antenna out and rotate it
the orange backlight looks really nice and fills the whole screen
the battery door is permanently attached
a plastic prop on the end of the hand strap clips into the back of the radio
strong local AM and FM signals are received with ease, and FM signals come in fine while the telescopic antenna is stowed within the radio
stronger shortwave signals in the 49-meter and 31-meter bands were picked up with just the telescopic antenna

And here are some of my complaints regarding the KA11:

pressing a button does not always register
moving the telescopic antenna in and out of the radio doesn't feel right, as if it is getting stuck or is about to break. the antenna enclosure is presumably tiny and delicate. the antenna itself is relatively sturdy and quite long.
quite a wide filter on AM, which means that strong local stations can be heard on adjacent channels
shucks, no protective pouch included!
lack of bass response is apparent on FM stations
sibilance (whistling, chirping sounds)
poor language in the user manual
location of the volume dial makes it susceptible to accidental adjustment
shortwave reception is limited to 5800-18100 khz
the digital thermometer is nice but gratuitous

The speaker's limited frequency response seems well suited to talk radio, where the speaker can adequately handle the typical frequency range of the human voice. The speaker's limitations are very noticeable when used for music.

One of the shortwave signals I picked up with just the telescopic antenna was a weak WWVH signal on 10000 khz around 0150 UTC. If you're going to use this radio for shortwave reception, you're going to need to supplement the telescopic antenna.

A high level of hiss is audible when earphones are plugged in and the volume is all the way down. I wish I had a better understanding of the technical side of this issue. It seems like the space requirements and the cost for improved audio quality is within reach for this type of product.

Before plugging in earphones, turn the volume way down to avoid a surprise and preserve your hearing! The volume output of the heaphones and the tiny speaker do not relate very well.

On the topic of volume control, my personal preference would be to remove the miniscule volume dial and instead provide up/down volume buttons.

This is certainly no DX machine; it is best suited to background listening rather than active listening. This is an attractive, pocket-sized novelty radio with basic capabilities and a cheap internal speaker. Perhaps the small packaging is enough to entice your friends or family members who have radio curiosity or require an ultra-portable receiver.

tecsun pl-450 radio appears on eBay

2008-01-29T20:37:00.000-08:00

Tecsun just released a new digitally-tuned portable radio called the PL-450. The eBay auction that I found for this radio indicated that it replaces the PL-350 (which is in my collection). Here's an image from Tecsun of the PL-450 in an attractive silver enclosure:

This radio receives AM (522-1620 khz with 9 khz steps, or 520-1710 khz with 10 khz steps), FM (76 - 108 mhz), and shortwave (1711 - 29999 khz). Although the auction currently omits this, the Chinese specs for the PL-450 also lists longwave (100 - 519 khz). If you look at a high-resolution image of the radio, you can see FM, MW, LW, and SW labels below the band switch buttons. The auction specifies dual conversion reception for AM; I'm unsure if this includes shortwave. The PL-350 model was a single-conversion receiver.

Like the PL-350 that preceded it, the PL-450 takes three AA batteries. Three batteries is inconvenient, especially if one decides to buy higher-quality rechargeable batteries to replace the factory rechargeables. What to do with the fourth battery? I like the tuning knob on the side of the radio as opposed to a flat tuning dial recessed into the enclosure as found on other pocket-sized receivers.

I like this oddly-translated phrase from the auction: "The sleepy function allows you to sleep more before getting up!"

Tecsun's website also shows a PL-600 radio, which probably replaces the PL-550. Anyone have any theories why Tecsun added longwave reception to the PL-450 and PL-600?

my tecsun dr-920 replacement arrived

2008-01-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

My Tecsun DR-920 replacement arrived on 15 January 2008, alongside the Redsun RF1201 that I ordered from China. I installed two alkaline batteries, set the clock, and tuned to several AM and FM stations to give the radio a basic workout. So far, so good.

If you didn't read it already, here's a link to my April 2007 review of the Tecsun DR-920.

This DR-920 has very good build quality, like the unit that I had before this one. The knobs, buttons, and switches are all in excellent condition. The telescopic antenna is as durable as can be expected for its size. The audio quality, both through the built-in speaker and through the headphone jack, seems the same as before. Hiss is audible on all bands through headphones, even with the volume at zero.

I noticed a difference between this radio and my original DR-920: this radio's backlight is yellow while my original radio had an orange backlight. The orange backlight looked better.

One issue I previously complained about with the DR-920 was the frequency display rapidly alternating between adjacent frequencies (such as 739 and 740 khz). When that happened, it kept the LCD backlight on unnecessarily. With this new unit, the frequency jumps a bit sometimes, but often it quickly settles on a frequency and shuts off the backlight. There was one instance where the frequency was unstable just after turning the radio on, requiring adjustment of the tuning knob to calm it. I'll keep watching to see if this DR-920 shows improvements over my previous one.

images of new grundig radios

2008-01-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

Here are images of the forthcoming Grundig G4, G6, and Satellit 750 radios. These images come from the Universal Radio online catalog.

Grundig G4

Grundig G6

Grundig Satellit 750

redsun rf1201 first look

2008-01-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

My Redsun RF1201 arrived from China on January 15, 2008. This pocket radio receives AM, FM, and shortwave, and is comparable to the Kaito WRX911 in terms of size, design, and features.

Inside the box were these items:

Redsun RF1201 radio
a wire antenna that clips onto the telescopic antenna
a cloth pouch (hooray! I really like these, and sometimes the sellers remove them from the box before shipment)
a 3" blue-and-white CDROM, labeled with a panda bear face, claiming to hold 25 minutes / 225 megabytes

Alas, all of my current optical drives are slot-load models that don't support 3" discs.

I loaded the RF1201 with a pair of alkaline batteries for initial testing. I'm pleased with this radio so far, due to:

very good build quality
strong, clear signals for local AM and FM stations
high-quality printing on the tuning scale
nice frequency response via headphones

I heard a weak WWVH signal and a moderately strong WWV signal at 5000 khz with just the telescopic antenna. I found a few strong signals in the 60-meter, 49-meter, and 31-meter bands during an evening session a couple days ago, although shortwave reception was noisy due to local interference.

My main gripes about this radio thus far:

limited frequency response from the speaker due to its size
the volume dial is very touchy
noticeable hiss from the headphone jack

To be fair, headphone jack hiss is common for the pocket radio category. Overall, this has been a satisfying radio buying experience. I unfortunately had a bad first impression of Redsun, since the RF1210 that I bought had a loose tuning knob. I'm still planning to acquire an RP3000/RP3100 once those are available for purchase in the USA.

If you're interested in Redsun radios, you might wish to check out the RP2100/KA2100 user reviews on this site.

new grundig radios for 2008

2008-01-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Eton website lists new Grundig radios that are expected in the next couple of months:

* Grundig G4 World Recorder

This radio has an interface that resembles the Kaito 1102. It is an AM, FM, and Shortwave receiver with MP3 recording and playback. MP3 storage will use an SD card that can be up to 2gb in size. Eton's website lists February 2008 as the launch date, and the list price is US$200.

* Grundig G6 Aviator

This radio provides AM, FM, VHF, and Shortwave reception with SSB. Eton's website lists February 2008 as the launch date, and the list price is US$100.

* Grundig Satellit 750

This radio appears to be smaller than, but taking many design cues from, the well-known Satellit 700 radio. The Satellit 750 will receive AM, FM, LW, SW with SSB, and VHF. Eton's website lists March 2008 as the launch date, with a US$300 list price.

Interestingly, the only shortwave products still listed in the Eton product line section are the wind-up radios and the E1XM. Other radios, such as the E1, E5, E10, and E100, are now listed in a section titled "Past Collection".

shortwave web news

2008-01-12T09:36:00.001-08:00

I'd like to first highlight the relatively-new Radio Kitchen Blog. Radio Kitchen is operated by The Professor from WFMU, and is a dedicated site for his radio interests that rose out of his "Adventures in Amplitude Modulation" series on the WFMU weblog. Radio Kitchen hosts band scan recordings along with context-rich commentary and images.

Second, as a recent reader comment reminded me, RadioIntel changed its website layout and is no longer designed around news articles and periodic updates. RadioIntel is a tremendous resource for me, and browsing that site put the idea into my head about publishing my own shortwave radio content. Ulis, the site's owner, gave me some great tips for close-up photography of radios using macro mode. I have accepted the fact that I can't offer anything approaching the quantity and quality of radio receiver reviews that RadioIntel publishes. If you somehow haven't visited that site yet, please do so and let them know what you think.

harry shearer prefers an ats-909

2008-01-06T21:17:00.001-08:00

Harry Shearer, known for his contributions to the movie "Spinal Tap" and a number of voices on "The Simpsons", is a shortwave radio enthusiast:

* Harry Shearer: Comic Relief via Shortwave

Regarding his Sangean ATS-909 receiver, Harry says

This has all the buttons I need and not much else. There is one that says ‘Page,’ and I’ve never pressed that. I don’t know what would happen.

Mr. Shearer's radio show, "Le Show", is part satire, part radio drama, and is broadcast on shortwave by WBCQ.

Harry, I am continually delighted by your work! (I wonder if he has a super 909...)

solar cycle 24 begins

2008-01-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

The folks at passband.com have announced the start of solar cycle 24. It is expected to be a great one for HF propogation! So let's see how long-distance reception goes during the next several years.

a place for comments and questions: 2008

2008-01-01T10:15:00.000-08:00

Readers of the Cobalt Pet shortwave radio weblog are encouraged to post comments and questions. In case you have a comment that's not related to a specific article, you are welcome to reply here. I'll link to this post from the website's sidebar so it's always easy to find. I welcome general comments, questions, and any feedback about the website.

I'll do my best to respond, either with a comment here of my own, or an article on the front page.

* 2006 comments and questions
* 2007 comments and questions

no surface mail from usa to china

2007-11-26T22:05:00.000-08:00

As I learned earlier this evening, the U.S. Postal Service eliminated surface shipment services to China earlier this year. So the small 12-ounce box containing my broken Tecsun DR-920 is wearing US$10.10 worth of first-class postage.

• $28.80 : Tecsun DR-920 plus shipping from China to the USA
• $10.10 : Postage to send the DR-920 from the USA back to China
• $38.90 : My total cost

The seller isn't asking me to pay for shipment of the replacement radio, which I appreciate. But inexpensive surface shipping option from the USA to China aren't available, and shortwave radio buyers in the USA need to consider the potential costs of obtaining a replacement.

I previously covered this topic in more detail: shortwave radios on eBay.

eton e1 without xm is for sale

2007-11-21T23:29:00.000-08:00

The Eton E1 is now available in a model without XM capabilities for the price of US$399. I saw this mentioned recently in a thread posted by "Junius" in the rec.radio.shortwave usenet newsgroup.

By the way, if you have one of these radios and you use it to receive XM service, I'd be interested to hear how that is working for you!

dr-920 returning to china

2007-11-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the reader that replied about my faulty Tecsun DR-920. I exchanged email with the seller, and he sent me suggestions (which I already tried, but I tried again for confirmation). He said he was in contact with Tecsun, and they have no further suggestions but they want to examine the radio. So I'm going to send it back and receive a replacement. I dug out the original box from my closet and removed the superfluous items, and I'll ship it once I receive the return address.

my tecsun dr-920 seems fried

2007-11-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

My Tecsun DR-920 radio is misbehaving. I got this radio in July 2006 from an eBay seller based in China. Recently I determined that the alkaline batteries needed to be replaced. This particular radio has lived in my dining room most of the time, and was only turned on occasionally. When I put a fresh pair of alkaline AA batteries in and turned it on, the frequency was stuck at 5081 khz, despite turning the tuning knob and moving the band switch. My first thought was that the batteries were inserted backwards but that wasn't the case. I immediately took the batteries out and left the radio alone for a few minutes, and tried again, but the result was the same. This morning, after several days of leaving the radio alone without batteries, the result was still the same after reinserting batteries. I'm under the assumption that leaving batteries in the radio while it is in this condition will do more harm than good.

I've heard of a polarity reversing problem with batteries, but I thought that applied only to rechargeable batteries that had extremely low voltage.

So I need to find out if there is a way to reset this radio. Eton's product manual for the Grundig G1100 (which is the same radio) didn't mention any reset methods, and I can't find any such controls. I just sent an email to the eBay seller that sold me this particular radio.

I may need to disassemble this radio and look for anything abnormal. If battery corrosion were an issue, I'd expect to see it on the contacts within the battery compartment, but it looks normal inside there.

This seems like revenge for my previous refrigeration of this radio.