In the last couple of months, I have posted a number of DRM screen captures and mp3 files received from various short wave stations.  Also a link to the Chinese Firedrake jammer is included as well. Enjoy!

An mp3 file was added today on the Perseus page showing an example of a station (Radio New Zealand International) broadcasting in Digital Radio Mondiale mode.  The screen capture below shows the DRM waveform and also the DReaM player.  Note the message window on the DReaM player, which is decoding text information from RNZI.

Please check out Thomas Witherspoon’s (K4SWL) informative and wonderful blog that covers shortwave radio news, history, upcoming events, product reviews, and just about anything one would need to keep current in what is going on in the world of shortwave listening.

In particular, please navigate to June 20, 2014 to see a write-up that is based on some information I provided to him concerning Reginald Fessenden and the Christmas Eve broadcast (both in 1906 and the reenactment in 2013).  There you will find a discussion about my grandfather, Adam Stein, Jr., who was Fessenden’s chief engineer.

The following link will take you to Thomas’ blog.  Along the right-hand side, one can navigate to blog entries for specific categories and for a month-by-month sorting.

The Shortwave Listening Post

A big thank you to Thomas for a providing the SWL community an excellent resource!

I added text and pictures of previously owned and current ham radio equipment.

I have added some pages, with YouTube clips and new blog items.  Thanks to Adam for getting things straightened out!

I have added a page to cover this aspect of the radio hobby.

In the early 60s, my parents bought me an inexpensive “rocket radio”, which was a crystal radio that covered the AM frequency band.  I was amazed how well it worked.  Here is a typical picture of what it looked like:

In the late 1960s, I did a lot of radio listening from Niantic, Connecticut.  I used a Hallicrafters SX-110 receiver back in those days to a spirally-wound loop about 18 inches of crossed dowels sitting inside the house.  I heard a number of South American and European stations along with KFI in Los Angeles on the Medium Wave (what non-DXers call AM radio) band.  Below is a picture of the Hallicrafters SX-110 receiver (not the one I had).  I wish I still owned this radio!

While living in Saudi Arabia from 1980 through 1985, I had a Kenwood R-1000 receiver there.  For an antenna, I used a Hustler 4BTV ham radio vertical.  I used the radio to listen to the BBC and VOA on medium wave in the evenings to keep abreast of world news.  I did some DX-ing, but not enough to remember.  I did hear my Dad, N1CVG, on CW from his QTH in Kingston, Mass on 15 meters in 1980.  I also used a Kantronics terminal interfaced to my Apple ][ + computer and did copy RTTY from Albania.  For that long ago, it did a pretty good job.

After a longtime without doing any non-ham radio DX-ing, coupled with the fact that there wasn’t much more I could do on the ham bands due to antenna restrictions, I thought that getting back to medium and short wave DX-ing might be fun and something to do that was still radio related.  In the fall of 2013, I decided (after much study) to purchase a Perseus SDR (Software Defined Radio) and a WellBrook loop antenna from that company in Wales.  In order to take full advantage of the radio’s capabilities, I also needed to procure a new computer.  I bought an i5 PC from HP, with 12 GB of RAM and a 1.5 TB hard disk, running Windows 8.  This combination interfaced together nicely.  The Perseus has no switches on it.  All control is done through the Perseus software.  The Perseus can record up to 1.6 MHz in bandwidth, which allows the entire medium wave band to be recorded at one time, thus permitting playback at a later time.  The filtering of the Perseus is all software driven.  The Perseus is a marvelous piece of hardware.  I installed the loop antenna in the backyard, with a rotor to allow rotation.  During the fall, this combination did allow me to log numerous European, Middle Eastern, and African medium wave stations.  Short wave stations have been logged from every continent (except Antarctica).  The Perseus page will be used to provide media for stations heard on the Perseus.  The Perseus and WellBrook loop are shown in the following pictures:

After completing the 5-Band (80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, and 10m) Worked All States award, I felt the strong need to do one more band.  So I chose the 17m band for this effort.  Approximately half of the states were worked before the Colorado trip and the last half were finished on 21 July 2013.  That completed working and confirming all the states on six amateur radio bands.  The close-in states on the higher bands (20m-10m) proved to be very difficult, but getting WAS on multiple bands has always been a goal of mine.

Here is a picture of the 5-Band Worked All States plaque, with the 17 meter endorsement added, for a total of 6-Band Worked All States:

Carolyn and I drove to Colorado for the wedding, which was held on 20 June 2013 at Della Terra in Estes Park, Colorado.  Della Terra borders on the Rocky Mountain National Park.  The wedding  and reception was very nice, as was the rehearsal dinner and the barbecue dinner the day the wedding.  Here is a picture of Andrew and Katie just after their wedding:

Before the wedding, we went to Colorado Springs and toured the Gorden of the Gods, took the Cog Rail to the top of Pike’s Peak, and went to the Zoo.

After the wedding, we went through drove the entire highway through Rocky Mountain National Park – going from Estes Park to Grand Lake.   One of the most beautiful drives I have ever made.  Actually since Carolyn drove, I should rephrase it to “One of the most beautiful rides I have ever made”.

Colorado is really a wonderful place for a wedding and even a better place to visit.

It has been almost one year since I have posted anything on this website.  It is time to remedy that.  In the next few days, there will be some new pages added and updates for the last year, as well, we be posted.

Since I never received a confirmation from the Missouri station previously worked, it was time to find another one.  The last state (Missouri on 10m) was re-worked Thursday evening (a different station) and the Logbook of the World confirmation was received yesterday. The application has been completed and submitted to the ARRL online.

It is a relief to have completed this award. On December 21, 2012, I had 149 band-states confirmed. These were all worked with no consideration for a 5 band WAS award.  I know for a fact that when conditions were so good on the air back in the late 80s/early 90s, I would have had a lot more band-states confirmed.  An article in QST about some ham working on this award got me enthused to try to finish it.  Hunting down the last 101 band-states over the 5 bands has been a real challenge. So now 250 band-states are worked and confirmed.

What will be the next thing to chase? No awards for a long time. This has been too time consuming and makes one leery about being away and missing something needed. Just like the chase for DXCC Honor Roll from 25 years ago.

So time to get caught up on TV, other projects, reading, etc.