chu time signal on 7335 khz has moved

As I catch up with various changes in the world of shortwave listening, I discovered via wikipedia that CHU moved one of its three shortwave broadcasts. The time signal previously broadcast on 7335 kHz can now be found on 7850 kHz due to a frequency reallocation by the International Telecommunications Union. More information about this can be found in Shortwave Central's article, Canada's CHU moving to 7850 kHz.

defense against ebay impulse purchases

My copy of the 25th edition of Passport to World Band Radio has found a purpose: dissuading me from purchasing new but mediocre radios that pop up on eBay. Case in point: I was intrigued by the Tecsun PL 600 until I read the review. However, now the book has me thinking again about the Eton E1. Maybe I should tear out those pages of the book and throw them away.

grundig g4 cancellation

I was curious about the Grundig G4, because it looked like a sibling of my enduring favorite, the Kaito 1102. Its disappearance from online radio retail catalogs and appearance on Eton's "past collection" page had me confused.

My curiosity in the Grundig G4 was a passing interest, because some issues turned me off. It appeared like another Eton move to take an existing product, slightly redesign it, and sell it for twice the original price (Kaito 1102 became Grundig G4; Kaito 1103/1106 became Eton E5/Grundig G5). I'm not interested in onboard digital audio recording, and one review I saw on an online retailer's website highlighted that the radio's user interface isn't suited for managing files on an SD card.

More information about this discontinued Eton/Grundig product can be found in the Passport to World Band Radio review: Grundig G4 introduced, dropped. The review was intended for the 25th edition of the book for 2009, before the radio was cancelled.

passport book is in limbo

Passport to World Band Radio in limbo:

the 26th Edition of Passport to World Band Radio® is being held in limbo. Despite this, for now we are continuing to maintain the WorldScan® database and uphold all proprietary material. Among other things, this should help allow for an orderly return to production, under IBS’ aegis or otherwise, should conditions allow.

Although I only bought one edition and didn't spend much time reading it, I'd be sad to see this book cease annual publication.

annoying radio commercial

I need to rant about something. My local all-news radio station of choice has been ceaselessly playing an advertisement that I absolutely hate. I found a link with an audio clip of the ad spot. But I decided not to link to it, because I don't want to give the advertiser any publicity.

Perhaps some of you have heard the commercial. First off, the background music for this ad is utterly pedestrian. Most of the ad time is spent degrading the listener to teach them the cleverly-misspelled organization name. The purpose of the organization is thrown in as an afterthought after the phone number is drilled into the listener's head.

I have become so disgusted with this advertisement that I turn my radio off when I hear it. I guess I've been spoiled lately by some extremely clever car insurance ads. So, I wrote to the station and told them that I hate this advertisement, that I find it degrading, and that I shut my radio off when I hear it. However, the station did what suits them best in a situation like this: they didn't respond.

cobalt pet anniversary

Today marks four years since the beginning of the cobalt pet radio weblog. This weblog has provided me with an excellent feedback look for my radio hobbies. I realize that content has been really lacking this year, and I apologize. My life has changed a lot since this weblog was started, and other activities are consuming my time.

I have a winter mediumwave DX log that still needs to be posted, so that will likely be my next post. I'm also looking forward to sharing my perspective on the portable shortwave receiver market. Thanks for reading!

grundig g3 appears online

Both Eton corporation and at least one online radio retailer have posted a listing for a future radio called the Grundig G3. The product photos show an identical appearance to the Eton E5 / Grundig G5. The feature list suggests an E5 / G5 with the addition of VHF band tuning (118-137 mhz), synchronous detection, and radio data system for FM.

No pricing has been announced. With the E5 / G5 previously retailing in the USA for US$150, it would be reasonable to expect a retail price in the range of US$150 - 250.

This sounds like an excellent upgrade to the E5 / G5, which traces its roots to the Degen DE1103 / Kaito KA1103. Will people still buy the Sony ICF SW7600GR after the G3 is released? That will depend primarily on retail price and the quality of the synchronous detection implementation. I am definitely looking forward to giving this new radio a spin.

a place for comments and questions: 2009

Readers of the Cobalt Pet shortwave and mediumwave 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
• 2008 comments and questions