Radio Resources


RADIO RESOURCES


Click on the links below to download a variety of articles,
spectrum surveys and information relating to the hobby of shortwave radio.


 The QSL Card - At What Cost...?
A popular article about the difficulty of obtaining verifications from shortwave broadcasters these days, written for the April 2015 issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine. A small PDF file. CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

 Survey of English Broadcasts on Shortwave - A15 Transmission Period
I have compiled this list of stations broadcasting in English as heard here at Mount Evelyn (as at May 1, 2015) since the start of the A15 transmission period. It covers most of the 24 hour period with the exception of about three hours. The listings are in time and frequency order, and is eight pages long.The file can be accessed at my Box.com cloud account and is a small PDF file of 275kb. CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

 A14 Summary of Some New Frequencies and Schedule Changes - As monitored and compiled by Rob Wagner
This list was compiled between March 30 (the start of the A14 transmission period) and April 30. It chronicles some of the changes noted on the international shortwave bands during that month. It is by no means a complete list, but simply includes stations that I noted at my location in southeastern Australia.  CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

B13 Summary of Some New Frequencies - As monitored and complied by Rob Wagner
During the month of November 2013, I made a number of posts in the MEDXR blog about new frequency changes as observed here in Melbourne. So, rather than leave all this information scattered in separate blog posts, I decided to bring it all together into one pdf document. If this is of interest and of use to you, then please click on the link below. It will take you to the download directly at box.com. The size of the pdf file is 176kb. CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

 Latin American DX Survey 2014 - Available for Download
The 2014 survey of Latin American broadcasters, as monitored here at Mount Evelyn, Vic, Australia. It covers mainly domestic but also some international stations over the period between March and September this year. Also included are some tips on QSLing the Latins. The survey is a 13-page PDF document, approx 1.6 mb, and can be downloaded here. CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

 Latin American DX Survey 2013 - Available for Download
I have compiled a new survey of Latin American broadcasters, as monitored here at Mount Evelyn, Vic, Australia. It covers mainly domestic but also some international stations over the period between March and August this year. Also included are some tips on QSLing the Latins. The survey is a 9-page PDF document, approx 1.6 mb, and can be downloaded here. CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

 The Double Bazooka Antenna - A YouTube Review
The Double Bazooka antenna is also known in some circles as a Coaxial Dipole, but it has some distinctive and important differences from the standard dipole antenna. It was originally designed for military use in the 1940's as a broadband antenna and from a transmitting point-of-view, this is one of it's main attractions - low SWR across almost an entire shortwave band. However, it also is successful in reducing the impact of the ever-growing problem of electrical noise that continually plagues our shortwave bands, making it an excellent SWL antenna.  This 12-minute video explains the design, construction and operation of this excellent antenna. CLICK TO VIEW

 The Tilted Terminated Folded Dipole - A Practical Construction Guide
A few years ago I experimented with the T2FD antenna. It ended being up in the backyard for quite a while. This is not an easy antenna to construct and erect, particularly when cut for the lower shortwave frequencies. However, the exercise was worthwhile and the device would work well in a low noise environment. This article, which first appeared in the Electronic DX Press, contains a number of photos.....they say that a picture is worth a 1000 words! So it may take a little time to download. Hope you enjoy it.   CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Amateur Radio: What's It All About?
This is a PowerPoint presentation I gave at a school a few years back when we recognised World Telecommunications Day. The presentation was part of a working amateur radio display I set up in the Science Labs. This document may be useful for those wishing to seek more information on the subject. To keep the file size down (as low as I could!) it has been converted into a pdf.   CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

BOOK REVIEWS

BOOK REVIEW: Good Morning Hanoi
A fascinating insight into the Voice of Vietnam through the eyes of two Australian journalists and announcers who spent time with the station.  CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

 BOOK REVIEW: An Air War With Cuba
A brilliantly researched book with insights into the political and practical problems of Radio Marti and it's effect on the Cuban population. CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
BOOK REVIEW: Voice of America - A History
Written for publication in the Electronic DX Press, this review looks at the outstanding Allan Heil book on one of the powerhouse shortwave broadcasters, the Voice of America.  CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

ARCHIVAL REFERENCES

Latin American Survey 2003
In 2003, I completed a major survey of shortwave domestic (home service) radio stations operating from Central and South America. It has been the only Australian survey of its type for many years. The vast majority of information was collated through my own listening here in Melbourne and surrounding bush areas of Victoria. Although much of the material is out-of-date now, it is useful to see the sort of activity that appeared on the shortwave bands a decade ago, compared to today. How things have changed!   CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

13 Metre Band Survey 2002
As the decline of the sunspot cycle began to take hold in 2002, a survey of radio stations operating in the 13 metre band (21 mhz) was compiled to represent current usage of the radio spectrum at that time. I find this to be one of the more interesting shortwave bands in which to listen. As the sunspot count makes its upward climb each cycle, this is one band to watch come to life. Again, the information is very out-of-date but stands as a reference guide only to future observations of this band from Australia.   CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

 Software Review: Keep a Track of What You've Got With B-Log
Here is an article written for the Electronic DX Press on a small but highly effective piece of record-keeping software for the shortwave listener.   CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

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