Radio User October 2022

wiessala@hotmail.com Hello and a warm welcome to the October edition of RadioUser. First things first: I would like, on behalf of the RadioUser team here and at Warners, to extend our deepest sympathies to the Royal Family and the Nation, on the occasion of the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II. The seasons are passing too, and as the foliage here in the Ribble Valley has unmistakably taken on a rustier shade; we are approaching Keats’ Season of Mists and Yellow Fruitfulness. As we do, we have, once again a magazine brimfull with radio features, reviews and stories for you to peruse and enjoy. In our main features this month, Martín Butera highlights a most unusual communications and DF facility in Germany, whose aerial array has been called ‘The Elephant…

Panorama Aerials at Moonraker The Panorama BSV-H4 - VHF Base Station Antenna (141-151MHz) is a 2dBi-gain discreet, ‘ruggedised’, product and is suitable for temporary field use or permanent installation. The antenna has a black plated brass centre hub, which is mounted on a nylon stub mast and is supplied with mounting hardware. The hub has an N socket terminal which allows the use of coaxial cable of different types and diameters, depending on the cable length required. The plastic-coated ¼ wave radiating element is fitted to the centre of the hub and three helical elements provide the ground plane. The price is £164.99. At the time of writing, Moonraker advertised the following technical specifications: VHF Operating Frequency Band: 141-151-162MHz • Connector: N-Jack • VHF (30-220MHz): 132-174MHz - (Banded) • Typical…

The next edition of the “world’s most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to broadcasting” will be published in December 2022 in a printed and digital version. The “Directory of Global Broadcasting” was published by WRTH Publications Limited until 2022. The rights have now been transferred to Radio Data Center GmbH (RDC), based in Freising, Germany. After seven decades as a book, the World Radio TV Handbook (WRTH), the “Directory of Global Broadcasting, will now also be available as a web app. “The directory is an indispensable reference for interested radio listeners, avid DXers and all those who move professionally in the world of radio,” said Günter Lorenz, founder and CEO of Radio Data Center GmbH, on September 08, 2022. “We are pleased that it will also be available online as a…

The DRM Consortium recently gave an extensive update on DRM developments in various countries and included information on the new Starwaves receiver designed for the DRM Schools project. This is a new receiver design with a ‘retro’ look but only a two-line text display. The Starwaves W2401 has two versions: ordinary use priced at €79 and the schools’ version at €99, which includes a Wi-Fi hotspot to deliver web pages to mobile devices. This will be the most useful version. The specification is minimal at the moment but indicates that the W2401 will receive AM and FM including DRM modes for that those bands. Other receiver modules are now available but they all require integration into physical devices. Nevertheless, this update confirms that DRM is very much alive and being…

RadioUser STOP PRESS! The FireSpot is a fantastic and affordable way to get access to digital radio covering the most common modes like D-Star, DMR, Fusion, and so on. What is great about the FireSpot, is that it can be used wirelessly, but also can be plugged directly into your router via ethernet cable giving it a very reliable and stable connection to the digital platform. The faster quad-core processor gives a quicker boot-up time compared to the common range of hot spots available. It comes complete in a sturdy 3d printed box and is powered via a micro-USB cable. The FireSpot comes preinstalled, just hook it up to your router (preferred option) for the first setup, enter your details wireless SSID and password, reboot and away you go. The…

A British smartphone maker hopes to steal a march on Apple and Tesla boss Elon Musk with a new satellite-connected handset. If there is no wi-fi or mobile network signal, the idea is the Bullitt phone will automatically link to one of two global satellite networks. Bullitt’s service is due to launch in February 2023 and will initially enable users to send and receive text messages only. (Source: BBC Radio 4 | via Bob Houlston, RU Voluntary Correspondent). https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-62796363…