Innehållsförteckning för March 2022 från Radio User

Editorial Welcome Aeronautical Comms & Underwater Tracking Georg Wiessala wiessala@hotmail.com Hello and welcome to the March edition of RadioUser. First of all, many congratulations to Julie Breckon, the winner of our December 2021 competition. Julie, I do hope you like the bhi in-line unit. There is an aeronautical flavour to this issue: For take-off, we offer a brief review of the very latest in airband listening books; it gives me great pleasure to say that both the ATC Handbook 2022 and UKAFG 2022 have been authored by long-standing contributors to RadioUser. If you are into airband, take a look. For some quality in-flight entertainment, we invited Nils Schiffhauer back on board. He casts a meticulous eye over the Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) mode, as used by the US Air Force, and…

Latest News and Products from Butel Here is a selection of recent product news and updates from Dutch makers Butel: “(1) ARC30 YouTube Videos: We are in the process of creating YouTube videos for our popular ARC30 software for the Icom IC-R30. These videos will include basic instructions on how to install the software, set up the Icom IC-R30 for use with the ARC30 software, and general tips and tricks for using ARC30. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel using the link at the end of this section. In respect of the ARC125 find-and-replace bug, there is a known issue in the latest release of ARC125. The Find-and-Replace option is not working in Bank 1. This will be fixed in the next release of ARC125. On software updates, here…

New Magazine from BRARS BRARS (the British Railways Amateur Radio Society) is delighted to announce the arrival of its new look Rails and Radio magazine. The magazine now has more pages, more articles, more columns and more photos than its recent predecessors and will be published regularly every quarter. The new look came about due to the retirement of the long-standing editor. A new editor was needed and so Ian Brothwell G4EAN and Richard Waterman G4KRW jointly took on the role of editor. They had to start with a clean sheet and decided to make Rails and Radio more of a magazine and less of a newsletter. The January 2022 issue of Rails and Radio is their first new-look issue. It indeed has a colourful look and lots of photos…

SteppIR Communication Systems at ML&S Since 2001, SteppIR Communication Systems has manufactured thousands of mechanically adjusted, remotely tuned, frequency optimised HF/VHF Yagi, Vertical & Dipole antenna systems for commercial, amateur radio, military, emergency communications & consumer markets. In December 2021, SteppIR appointed ML&S Martin Lynch & Sons to retail & distribute their range of antenna products. John Mertel – WA7IR, SteppIR President & CEO commented: “Martin Lynch & Sons represents a significant step forward for SteppIR Communication Systems. Never before have we had such a well-known, highly respected ham radio reseller as a partner, to assist in the overseas sales, service and maintenance of SteppIR products. It takes a serious commitment to offer the kind of customer service we expect at SteppIR, and we believe ML&S is up to the task…

What’s new in the world of radio Publications Magazine Panorama An occasional overview of some of the contents covered in selected radio and hobby newletters Asian DX Review (Indian DX Club International – February 2022) Texas Radio SW, Tonga Volcano, Indian Radio, and more. http://www.idxci.in Benelux DX Club Bulletin http://www.bdxc.nl C.Crane Catalogue 2022 https://tinyurl.com/5f9zz7ds DX Fanzine (Italy) http://www.dxfanzine.com Medium Wave Circle e-Medium Wave News: British Broadcasting Before the BBC, DX Detectives, WRTH, Ofcom Proposal. http://www.mwcircle.com Nuts & Volts Magazine Receiving Data with Web-Based Short Wave Radios (via SWLing Post). https://tinyurl.com/2p8r6hwa) https://tinyurl.com/3bddyz33 British DX Club ‘Communication’ (ISSN 0958-2142) (Vol. 567, February 2022) Short Wave Scene in Utah, TECSUN Radios, Collectors’ Corner. http://www.bdxc.org.uk ENIGMA2000 Newsletter (Issue 128, January 2022) www.enigma2000.org Radioworld (2nd February 2022) Audio-Streaming, Emergency-Alert System. https://tinyurl.com/2tscbhkt Radioworld (19th January 2022) Reviews:…

Book Review Trip Advisors for Radio: The 2022 RadioUser Review of Listening Guides David Harris mydogisfinn@gmail.com David Harris closely inspects this year’s crop of the principal listening guides for the international radio enthusiast and SWL: The Radio Listener’s Guide, Worldwide Listening Guide and World Radio TV Handbook. The Radio Listener’s Guide One of the hardest things about choosing a new FM/DAB radio is finding impartial reviews of products. One can Google the brand name and model number of any radio, but virtually all online ‘reviews’ are posted by retailers who simply reprint the manufacturers’ original publicity. Fortunately, since 1989, Clive Woodyear has been publishing the annual Radio Listener’s Guide, which has listings and reviews of over 100 clock radios, portable FM/DAB radios and desktop radios, along with some smart speakers.…

News Radio News THE DARC WEB?: On 15th January 2022, the homepage of the German DARC (Deutscher Amateur Radio Club e.V.* [German Amateur Radio Club, the equivalent of the RSGB]) became the target of a cyber-attack. The attack exploited a security vulnerability in a plugin in a WordPress installation. Two days later, the attack spread to the main DARC pages. It was detected on 17th January 2022, promptly stopped and repelled. At 10 pm on the same day, the homepage from Friday’s backup could be put back online [* ‘e.V.’ stands for ‘eingetragener Verein’, a ‘registered association’ - Ed.]. (SOURCE: ICQ Amateur / Ham Radio Podcast | DARC | German Hobby Press) https://tinyurl.com/yckhsw8d AMATEUR RADIO LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY: The Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (ARLHS) is devoted to maritime communications, amateur radio,…

Book Review Ocean Currents, Radio Waves, and a Way of Life David Harris enjoys a new book containing the fascinating reminiscences of a former Radio Officer in the Merchant Navy and taking readers back to a nowlost world of transport, shipping and communications. David Harris mydogisfinn@gmail.com If you were a young man in the early 1970s, and you wanted to work with radio and see the world, a career as a Radio Officer in the Merchant Navy enabled you to fulfil your ambitions. One such young person was Austen Guest who, as a teenager, listened to short wave radio and read Practical Wireless magazine. He left school in 1973 and started a two-year radio course at Bristol Technical College, which would lead to him gaining the full Marine Radiocommunications General…

TV & Radio: Past & Present BBC 100 Years: 1940-1949 Keith Hamer and Garry Smith continue exploring 100 years of the BBC, trace the story of John Logie Baird, and provide the link to their current online column, DX-TV & FM News. Keith Hamer Garry Smith Keith405625.kh1@gmail.com Garry405625.gs@gmail.com Following the Declaration of War on September 3rd, 1939, BBC units were scattered throughout the UK in 1940 for security reasons. It was very important that no guidance due to radio signals should be given to enemy aircraft. The transmission system was consequently re-organised overnight, in a remarkable technical feat. When the USA eventually became involved in the war, American troops, together with those from the British Empire, began pouring into the UK. On January 7th, 1940, the BBC introduced the Forces…

News What’s new in the world of radio RadioUser STOP PRESS! Heil Sound Pro Set 6 Now at Moonraker The Pro Set is designed to meet the exacting standards of world-class Contest and DX operators. The is a lightweight, versatile headset designed for comfort, durability, and, performance. The earpieces are full-sized, with heavily-stuffed cushions for operator comfort during long operating stints. The ear pad covers are removable, for washing, and replacement pads are also available. The Pro Set features Heil Sound’s exclusive phase reversal technology, which allows the user to “move” the incoming signal by engaging the phase-reversal switch; this creates a unique spatial widening sound that can, in some situations, significantly improve copy in a tough DX pile-up. The speakers in the Pro Set Series are 200Ω nominal devices, with…

Visit our Book Store at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk RADIO ENTHUSIAST BOOKSHOP The Magic Bands Building on Don's earlier books the 6 Metre Handbook and Six and Four, The Magic Bands adds lots lots of material on data modes operation, which has grown enormously in popularity in recent years with the advent of FT8. There is detail of the many new radios that have appeared in recent years with 6m and, increasingly, 4m capabilities. Readers will find two new antenna designs from Justin Johnson, G0KSC, of InnovAntennas especially produced for this book. There is detail of software too, not just for data modes but for remote operation, tracking of achievements and much else. There is even material highlighting the achievements of several of the leading operators on the 6m band. The 6m band…

A New Tuneable Indoor Ferrite Aerial The Reuter Elektronik RFA1 (A/B) allows continuous one-button tuning over a relatively large frequency range, thanks to its microprocessor design without the need to manually switch between ranges or to change antenna modules. An illuminated LC display is installed for display purposes. The reception voltage of the built-in ferrite rod is amplified with a low-noise amplifier (SFET/OpAmp cascode) and output to a standard 50Ω BNC connection. A quality multiplier circuit allows the bandwidth and output level to be varied. The antenna is designed for indoor use in very noisy surroundings. It can either be supplied with power autonomously from an installable battery, a DC hollow pin socket or via the HF cable. Using the power supply via the cable allows for remote control of…

Book Review A Jargon-Free Airband Bonanza Georg Wiessala wiessala@hotmail.com The editor takes a look at two new publications by RadioUser writers and columnists: The UK Airband Frequency Guide 2022, by Rick King, and the Air Traffic Control Handbook, by David Smith. UKAFG: UK Airband Frequency Guide 2022 UKAFG 2022 begins with very useful listings of UK Civil and Military Air Traffic Control (ATC), European ATC, and Common Airband Frequencies before launching into the Civil and Military Airports A-Z, which is accompanied by some very convenient maps, showing, for example, area maps, refuelling areas, transmitter sites and flight corridors. The subsequent Airports by Region sections is your one-stop quick guide, depending on where you live, and should, naturally, be read in conjunction with the listings in the rest of the book.…

Radio News ARENA RADIO: Arena Radio is the brainchild of national radio presenter Tony Dibbin and is backed by fellow director Paul Chantler. “This started as a lockdown project for me,” says Tony, who currently presents on the Greatest Hits Network, Absolute Radio 70s and builder’s station Fix Radio; “I love listening to concert performances and then I realised just how much live music had been recorded so I simply thought why not create a radio station that sounds like one big, continuous concert – and I have. There’s something about a live concert that is so exhilarating, and Arena Radio aims to capture the flavour of that.” Paul, who has been in the radio industry for nearly 40 years and is also a director and shareholder of Fix Radio…

European Private Shortwave Stations February 1st 2022 Only legal stations are included. Most stations use low power, but a few use several kW. Note that UTC is used here - not CET! Abbreviations used: D = Germany, DNK = Denmark, FIN = Finland, NL = Netherlands, NOR = Norway F.pl.: future plan, Int’l = International, Irr. = irregular, LT = Local time, 24/7 = twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week Mo = Monday, Tu = Tuesday, We = Wednesday, Th = Thursday, Fr = Friday, Sa = Saturday, Su = Sunday. This list is published by Hartvig Media ApS. each first day of the month – based on details supplied by the radio stations, the stations websites, monitoring observations, HFCC registrations, and some presumptions. The list is not…

Digital Radio RAJAR Figures and Global Digital Developments Kevin Ryan analyses the most recent RAJAR figures, shares his list of the top-25 digital-only stations and reports on the latest in small-scale DAB developments and technologies. Kevin Ryan kevin@radio-digital.co.uk More people are now listening to the radio using digital options like DAB, Freeview and smart speakers. However, with the quarterly data from RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research), it is sometimes difficult to make sense of headline-grabbing news. RAJAR suspended its usual surveys in March 2020 after COVID restrictions banned their method of using face-toface interviews. The most recent survey published at the end of October 2021 uses a new method: It includes panellists, as well as (for the first time) MediaCell technology. This technology captures listening habits both manually, from diaries,…

Rallies Rallies & Events All information published here reflects the situation up to and including 14th February 2022. Readers are advised to check carefully with the organisers of any rally or event, before setting out for a visit. The Radio Enthusiast website will have updates, please check here regularly. To get your event onto this list, please, e-mail full details as early as possible: wiessala@hotmail.com 6 March EXETER RADIO & ELECTRONICS RALLY: America Hall, De La Rue Way, Pinhoe, Exeter, EX4 8PW. Pete G3ZVI g3zvi@yahoo.co.uk 13 March HAMZILLA RADIO FEST: Discovery Science Park, Gateway House, Ramsgate Road, Sandwich, Kent CT13 9FF. Tickets are available now from £3/Tables £12. Those who bought tickets and tables in advance will have their booking carried forward to Hamzilla 2022. https://hamzilla.uk 9 April YEOVIL ARS:…

ENDBH/GNDBH/NANDBH Handbooks & CDs The 2022 editions of Michael Oexner’s popular NDB handbooks and CDs covering Europe and North America are ready now and have, once again, been updated extensively to reflect the latest changes and monitoring results. The new GNDBH contains the details of more than 17,100 NDBs worldwide. This is the perfect listening companion for radio listeners who use the extensive and ever-growing network of WebSDRs. The updated ENDBH shows the data of more than 8,300 NDBs, and the new NANDBH features more than 5,900 NDBs. (Source: SWLing Post Michael (ENDBH, GNDBH & NANDBH editor)) https://ndbchangeblog.blogspot.com…

Etón Satellit From Troy Riedel, via the SWLing Post and Etón, comes news that Etón has now placed a splash-page image of the new Elite Satellit (above) on their home page. There is no further information yet and the splash page simply links to their current production shortwave models. It does, however, show that Etón is committed to producing the Elite Satellit this year. (Source: Eton | SWLing Post | Troy Riedel). https://tinyurl.com/2p8u5vam https://etoncorp.com Enter our competitions at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk/competitions…

Book Review Radio News RADIOCENTRE’S TUNING IN NORTH EVENT RETURNS TO MANCHESTER: Radiocentre has announced its first Tuning In event for 2022 will take place in Manchester on the morning of 29th March 2022. Tuning In North will be the industry body’s first inperson event outside London since the start of the pandemic and you can book a free place via the website, below. Taking place at the Everyman Manchester, Tuning In North will be a chance for radio stations, brands and agencies from areas across the north of England to come together face-to-face and hear about the world of radio and audio in 2022 and beyond. The event will provide attendees with new Radiocentre insight into what big data tells us about radio advertising effectiveness, discussion of the important role…

Feature Feeling the Geomagnetic Pulse: Aerials for the ELF and VLF Bands (Part II) The editor continues his investigation of aerials suitable for the Extremely Low Frequency and Very Low Frequency (ELF and VLF) bands, looking at aerials for ‘natural radio’, weather information and diverse utility signals. Georg Wiessala wiessala@hotmail.com I am, arguably, ‘straying’ a little from the ‘pure-VLF’ path here: However, you may wish to receive and decode the signals from Standard Frequency and Time Signal (SFTS) stations, navigational (aeronautical and maritime) beacons, or the fascinating weather information that is still available in the VLF, LW or MW bands. In the VLF band, the past and present activities and transmissions from Russian time stations around 25kHz have been widely analysed, for example by my colleague Nils Schiffhauer, here in…

Digital Radio Radio News ASTRONOMY CLUB EXPLORES CONNECTION BETWEEN SPACE AND AMATEUR RADIO: The Peterborough Astronomical Association (PAA) meets, via Zoom, on Fridays, beginning at 6 pm, and community members are invited to tune in. The format includes novice astronomy classes, a main presentation, and a question-and-answer period. This month, the novice astronomy classes start anew with Lesson 1 (An Introduction to Astronomy). Find out how we fit in the universe. This session looks at our position in space and the Universe, our ‘cosmic address’, as it were. It will also explore the myriad of objects visible in the night sky as well as a sampling of more exotic phenomena such as Black Holes, Dark Energy, and Dark Matter. The novice astronomy class begins at 6 pm and runs for…