Innehållsförteckning för January 2022 från Radio User

Time Adjustment Software and GPS Tool from Icom The ST-4003W is a new Windows-based software suite. It is compatible with the IC-705, IC-7100, IC-7300, IC-7600, IC-7610, IC-7850/IC-7851, and IC-9700 radios. It allows you to set the radio’s time from your PC’s time by connecting your radio to a PC. Also available to download for free from Google Play is an Android app called the ST-4003A. To download the software, please visit the ST-4003W Time Adjustment Software Download Page (First URL, below). Furthermore, Icom has also announced a new GPS tool for Android OS devices called the ST-4002A. The ST-4002A is available to download for free from both the Icom website and Google Play. It will automatically allow you to input GPS location data from an Android™ device to your transceiver.…

Winradio WR-G69DDCe ‘Artemis’ SDR The WiNRADiO WR-G69DDC ‘Artemis’ is a top performance, softwaredefined, wide-band, ultra-fast search speed 3 GHz/s, HF/VHF/UHF/SHF receiver. Two independent and mutually exclusive inputs are provided, one for each range: 8 kHz to 80 MHz and 43 MHz to 8 GHz. A real-time 80/34 MHz-wide spectrum analyser is included with a 32 MHz wide instantaneous bandwidth available for recording, demodulation and further digital processing over the whole frequency range. The receiver’s superior performance results from its innovative, combination of directsampling and superheterodyne, digital down-conversion architecture along with the use of leading-edge components and design concepts. These all result in excellent sensitivity, phase noise and dynamic range, highly accurate and stable tuning, high scanning speed and perfect demodulation. These key features create a receiver in a class of…

The Long, Medium & Short of It The Return of the Long, Medium, and the Short Scott Caldwell begins a new bi-monthly column on analogue radio, from long wave to short wave. It will alternate with his Radio History column and offer recommendations, DXpedition reports, hot topics and listening tips for HF radio. Scott Caldwell Scottandrew.caldwell@yahoo.co.uk Hello and welcome to the return of the Long, Medium, and the Short! No need for a ‘Flux-Capacitor’ to make time travel possible! In this new, bi-monthly, column, I will always begin by offering some short, introductory, hints and tips on a choice of topics from the world of Dxing, share some of the latest news and developments from this side of the hobby and recommend some key times, broadcasters, frequencies, and resources (e.g.…

Airband News A Parallel Runway Take-off and Military Airspace DAVID SMITH REPORTS ON A HEATHROW CELEBRATION AND AN RAF DRIVE FOR NEW AIRSPACE. HE ALSO DESCRIBES THE CONTINUING EFFORTS TO FIND A MISSING MALAYSIAN AIRLINER AND SHARES SOME ATC FREQUENCIES FOR RAF LEEMING. David Smith dj.daviator@btinternet.com On the morning of 8 November 2021, the reopening of the USA to UK travellers was marked with a spectacular synchronised, parallel take-off from Heathrow – a rare occurrence. Heathrow’s runways are ‘only’ 1,414m apart, which is too close to be able to perform parallel departures outside of some very specific weather and visual conditions. The controllers must rely on what is called ‘Reduced Separation in the Vicinity of an Aerodrome’ to ensure the aircraft remain safely apart as they climb out of the…

Aerials 101 Aerials 101: A New Series for Beginners KEITH RAWLINGS BEGINS THE NEW YEAR BY OUTLINING THE CONTENT OF HIS NEW SERIES ON BASIC AERIAL TECHNOLOGY IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS AND BY LOOKING AT SOME KEY TYPES OF AERIALS AND THEIR MAIN PROPERTIES. Keith Rawlings Keith.g4miu@gmail.com Hello and welcome to my first column of 2022. We are going to kick off the New Year with a series covering the technology of aerials on a rudimentary basis. This will be an ongoing topic throughout 2022, and it will also include descriptions of different aerials types ranging from the well-known to some of the more unusual types. There will be some formulae – which on a technical subject such as this is unavoidable – but I will keep this to a minimum.…

News What’s new in the world of radio IC-M804 Class E MF/HF Marine SSB Transceiver Radio User STOP PRESS! Launching at the METS Marine Trade Show, the Icom IC-M804 is a new long-range MF/HF Class E DSC radio for ocean-going sailors and commercial non GMDSS operators. The IC-M804 is packed with features to keep users safe, including an intuitive user interface, colour TFT LCD display, audio replay, GPS and more. The IC-M804 is currently the only CE-marked Class E DSC Marine MF/HF radio available in the market.* Much like its predecessors, the IC-M804 features a remote head that can be neatly installed near a chart table or NAV station while the control box can mount discreetly out of the way and out of sight. The controller can be interfaced with a…

New Media and Internet Radio Games Without Frontiers – Radio Without Tears Chrissy Brand looks at programmes and podcasts about games and pastimes. She also illustrates how individuals can create fame as presenters, on their own terms and through their own channels. Chrissy Brand chrissyLB@hotmail.co.uk CHRISSY BRAND The winter months inevitably draw people indoors, which in turn offers plenty of opportunities to catch up on radio programmes, podcasts and the plethora of other entertainment options and channels in an age of video and audio abundance. There are many podcasts and programmes to uncover that focus on all aspects of gaming. There is a generational difference in the types of games that are played, with the under-40s dominating the Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. The middle-aged market may prefer smartphone Solitaire, Tetris…

WORTH £329 Win this Tecsun H-501x Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Nevada, we have one of these fabulous new radios to give away to one lucky winner. The Tecsun H-501x is an FM (Stereo) | LW | MW | SW-SSB PLL Synthesized Receiver with Bluetooth Audio Player and Computer Speaker Mode and a setting of up to 9kHz bandwidth on MW AM. The H-501x has two large speakers, volume, bass and treble control, two batteries, a synchronous detector, innovative auto-scanning/tuning/storage features, as well as advanced tuning, memory-management (including auto-sorting) and information display systems. This receiver is still compact enough to be taken on your DXpeditions but is a heavyweight when it comes to sensitivity, selectivity and interference rejection. To be in with a chance of winning this…

Emerging Issues in Radio Radiodays Europe 2021 CHRISSY BRAND REPORTS FROM THE RECENT RADIODAYS EUROPE CONFERENCE IN LISBON. THE EVENT SHOWCASED A HOST OF INSPIRED WAYS IN WHICH RADIO CAN SAVE LIVES AND SUPPORT SOCIETY AS A WHOLE. Chrissy Brand chrissyLB@hotmail.co.uk CHRISSY BRAND After two pandemic postponements in 2020, the Radiodays Europe conference finally convened in lovely Lisbon last October. The hard-working team at the Radiodays organisation had hardly been idle in the meantime, though. The annual Radiodays Europe Podcast Day had taken place online, instead of in-person, in both 2020 and 2021. Another successful spin-off from the Radiodays Europe brand has been Radiodays Asia. Its 2021 conference also took place virtually, in March, with dozens of high profile speakers. These included Suman Basnet, Asia-Pacific Regional Director, World Association of…

TV & Radio: Past & Present The BBC Centenary in 2022: A Prelude Keith Hamer and Garry Smith begin covering the BBC’s 2022 Centenary, showcase classic vintage wireless adverts, unearth lesser-known aspects of the life of John Logie Baird. Keith Hamer Keith405625.kh1@gmail.com Garry Smith Garry405625.gs@gmail.com Regular readers will remember that last year, we featured a series of articles commemorating the 85th Anniversary of BBC Television, culminating in the November issue to coincide with the official start on November 2nd, 1936 (RadioUser, September 2021: 37-39; October 2021: 38-40; December 2021: 48-50). Well, this year marks the BBC’s Centenary, and we have set ourselves the task of attempting to cover as many aspects as possible of engineering or programme-making for every year between 1922 and 2022. BBC 100 Years: 1922-1929 The BBC…

Maritime Matters Maritime Communications on MF and HF Robert Connolly looks at how to receive maritime voice and data communications on MF and HF, at NAVTEX DXing, Digital Selective Calling, Radioteletype and Radiofacsimile, and SAR ops and cruise ships. Robert Connolly gi7ivx@btinternet.com Winter: The time of the long and dark nights, interspersed with short periods of daylight. While it may not be a good time to head to the coast and listen to marine VHF channels, unless you are fortunate enough to live in a coastal region, it is a time when you can improve your skills at receiving MF/HF maritime communications. The maritime MF and HF bands may not be as active as the equivalent aircraft bands, but there are signals to be received if you know what frequencies to…

Radio User STOP PRESS! AOR AR 2300: Black-Box Power for the ‘Prosumer’! The AR23 00 is a ‘Black-Box’ version of the AR5001D, the high-performance communications receiver from AOR. The AR2300 is ideally suited for radio and spectrum monitoring in various commercial and government applications, as well as for use in radio investigation services. A typical application of AR2300 can include: Signal detection; Signal search in frequency and memory scan mode Spectrum occupancy and on-the-air monitoring Coverage and field-strength check Signal and spectrum analysis (through optional I/Q board with the supplied software Detailed applications are as follows: Monitoring of given frequencies, e.g. storage of 1-2,000 frequencies, receiving modesantennaport attenuator settings, constant monitoring of one frequency or scanning of selected frequencies. Searching in a frequency range with freely selectable start and stop…

Feature The European DX Council & the British DX Club in 2022 Regular columnist and EDXC Secretary-General Chrissy Brand provides an update of the activities at the European DX Council (EDXC) and the British DX Club (BDXC). Chrissy Brand chrissyLB@hotmail.co.uk For 55 years, the European DX Council has promoted goodwill and closer cooperation between DX clubs and organisations and promoted DXing in Europe, and beyond. It also helps to improve contact between DXers, s and radio stations. In recent years, the main activity of the Council has been its annual conference, which brings together enthusiastic DXers from around the world. This consists of a few days together in an exciting location, with visits to local radio stations, interesting presentations and talks on all aspects of the hobby. This might antennae…

Review The Sangean ATS-909X2 The editor has had the brand-new Sangean ATS-909X2 in the editor’s shack and shares his evaluation of this stylish portable world band radio from one of the most traditional and well-known makers on the market. Georg Wiessala wiessala@hotmail.com The Sangean name is a well-known brand, widely recognised by radio enthusiasts, world travellers and short wave listeners. Some of us may have owned an earlier model of one of a range of world band receivers made by the company over the decades. I have fond memories of the ATS-818CS myself – the one with the inbuilt cassette recorder, remember? I have also worked with the ATS-803A (also marketed under the Realistic name) and the model immediately previous to the one reviewed here, the ATS-909X. This new model…

Digital Radio The Future of DAB and a Radio that Knows Your Emotions Kevin Ryan reports on the 2021 WorldDAB Summit, evaluates the latest Digital Radio and Audio Review, has news on a software update for PURE digital radios and looks at a face-scanning ‘emotional radio’. Kevin Ryan kevin@radio-digital.co.uk There was not too much of note in this year’s WorldDAB summit. The group’s objectives over the coming three years appear roughly the same as before. They are, primarily, to ensure that any developments for car radios keep DAB broadcasts as the primary source of audio, and not IP (i.e. the internet). The other objectives are marketing, retaining the countries currently using DAB, and gaining new markets. The ‘receivers’ section of the summit covered marketing initiatives in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium…

Feature Aerials for the ELF and VLF Bands (Part I) The editor revisits the Very Low Frequency (VLF) part of the spectrum, evaluating the kinds of receivers, aerials and accessories you might find useful if you venture into this fascinating part of the radio hobby. Georg Wiessala wiessala@hotmail.com If you are a regular reader, you will, no doubt, have noticed my interest in the Extremely Low Frequency (ELF, 3-30Hz) and Very Low Frequency (30Hz-30kHz) bands, sometimes referred to as the ‘Basement-Bands’ of radio (Table 1). Radio signals at these extremities (Fig. 1) are fascinating, not just as physical phenomena in themselves, but primarily because they offer so much information about how our world – and the wider universe – are working. It may be useful to remind ourselves of the…

Signals from Space Graveyard Orbits and Infotainment: Two Satellite Radio Stories This month Tim Kirby looks at two different Direct Broadcast Satellite Radio systems – one which has failed but is remembered by many, and one which is still going strong, adapting and branching out. Tim Kirby tim@livingland.wales Broadcasting television signals from space is well known to most of us. If we do not have a satellite dish on the house ourselves, we probably know someone who does. Broadcasting radio signals from a satellite in space is rather less common, though. I will first look at a system that did just that, and which has come and gone. Following that, I will be describing a technology that is running now and assess in what way it has evolved to meet…