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OPENING THE LOGBOOK - NOVEMBER 1972

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OPENING THE LOGBOOK NOVEMBER 1972 PLEASE READ: This Opening the Logbook series has been running for just over one year now. I have enjoyed researching and writing these posts and digging out a few of my QSL cards and letters. Those were times rich in both broadcasting and world history. So my aim is to document shortwave radio in the era when I was a young DXer.  But I wonder whether the series interests our regular MEDXR readers. I get the occasional appreciative comment on the blog and from the Facebook feeds, and a few "thumbs up", but that's about it. I can imagine that for many readers, this era isn't of interest or relevance, but for those of us who lived it, it might bring back memories. It takes many hours and a lot of effort each month to put it all together. If enough people think this series offers something of value, please let me know, and I will keep writing.  Thanks, my friends! Rob Each month, I open the old records to see what I (and others) heard de...
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BOOK REVIEW: Shortwave unlocked: Radios, Antennas, Signals, Secrets & the World at Your Fingertips

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  BOOK REVIEW: Shortwave Unlocked: Radios, Antennas, Signals, Secrets & the World at Your Fingertips Garner, P. [2026] Shortwave Unlocked: Radios, Antennas, Signals, Secrets & the World at Your Fingertips, Massachusetts: Aegis Press; ISBN 9798253249659.  A new book aimed primarily at beginner shortwave enthusiasts is a disappointing addition to the literature already available for this wonderful hobby. While it offers some useful, well-presented information, it is also rife with inaccuracies and many laughable moments.  Note : My review copy is a Kindle edition. Its content may well vary from a hard-copy printed version. Garner’s slim book covers such a broad range of topics that it fails to provide meaningful information on most of them. Sixteen chapters and seven appendices cover radios, propagation, antennas, pirates, number stations, utility stations, digital modes, software-defined radios, international broadcasting trends, and other topics.  But the boo...
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B26 - NEW FREQUENCIES NOTED IN THE FIRST 24 HOURS

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  B26 - NEW FREQUENCIES NOTED IN THE FIRST 24 HOURS This is just a quick post to indicate the early movement of broadcasters for the new B26 transmission season. There have been many changes and a couple of surprises, too. I won't do a full list of changes this time, as I'm busy with other activities over the next few days. Then, on Friday, I'm off for a week's holiday. Will I take a radio? OF COURSE!! 😁 9490   JAPAN. R. Japan - Yamata. *1000 Mandarin, 1020 Korean, 1040 Mandarin until 1050* to EAs. NF (ex 11855). Oct 25. 9585   JAPAN. R. Japan - Yamata. *0930-0950* Russian to NEAs, NF (ex 7350), Oct 25. 9740   FRANCE. RFI - Issoudun. *0430-0500* Swahili to CAf and EAf, NF (ex 11790), Oct 25. 9750   FRANCE. RFI - Issoudun. *0500-0600* French to Af. NF (ex 13695), Oct 25. 9770   TURKEY. VoT - Emirler. *0400-0700* Turkish to EEu. NF (ex 9770), Oct 26. 9790   FRANCE. RFI - Issoudun. *0400-0500* French to Af, NF (ex 15300), Oct 25. 9800   CHINA. CRI -...
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WHEN THE POWER GOES OFF

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  WHEN THE POWER GOES OFF Recently, my local area experienced a sudden power outage. It happened early in the afternoon, interrupting my usual activities around the home. This isn't unusual in our area, where trees often come down, or large branches suddenly fall onto the power lines. Some time passed before I thought: "I wish I had my 12v battery charged and ready to go. I could connect any of my desktop radios, fire them up and check out the bands. It's a pity I don't have anything sorted for when the power goes out". Then I suddenly realised my laptop was charged, and my SDRplay RSPduo receiver was sitting idle in the radio shack. I could use that! Why didn't I think of that earlier?  I suspect it's because, while I often use the RSPduo, it is not the first radio that comes to mind. With a shack full of traditional, classic gear, I tend to gravitate toward the fun of "knobs and buttons". Anyway, as the power outage dragged on with no sign of r...
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OPENING THE LOGBOOK - OCTOBER 1972

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  OPENING THE LOGBOOK OCTOBER 1972 Each month, I open the old records to see what I (and others) heard decades ago. It has been fun looking back at old issues of the Australian DX News (ADXN - the newsletter of the Australian Radio DX Club), bringing back lots of memories. Here are some memories from October 1972—54 years ago!  All frequencies in kHz; all times are UTC (or GMT, as we used to say in those days!). Could Christmas Island have become a new shortwave country? There was a news report in the October '72 ADXN that piqued my interest....and that, until now, I had completely forgotten about. So, I did a little follow-up research for this month's  Opening the Logbook. FACT: Christmas Island is an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, lying south of Java, Indonesia. A national park covers most of the 135-sq-km island. *  *  * For a brief moment in 1972, Christmas Island looked as though it might become Australia’s newest shortwave outpost, and perh...
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