Unboxing Panasonic RF-3500 E-9K Radio Four Bands, including SW

Radios are still around ... and some even still have shortwave bands.

DLT's A Jolly Good Show 13 - late 1995

So decades ago I was into radio, and still am, and here is a recording of a radio program made by this blogger some... probably... 20+ years ago.

A Blast from the Past: DLT's 14 A Jolly Good Show

A Blast from the Past: DLT's 14 A Jolly Good Show

this is from my own collection actually recorded by me.

DLT's A Jolly Good Show 6 - 1995

Something from my library of shortwave and other radio recordings.

BBC World Service 1998 Brain of Britain 2/3

Fruits of my hobbies... which is shortwave radio.

Ritmix RPR-7011 aka Degen DE 319 in a Garden - Three Years After

Here is my Ritmix RPR-7011 aka Degen DE 319 radio in my garden last October 2018.

 Main entry on this radio is here.

So far so good. Met expectations and even surpassed them.

Forum pictures.

llya's Radio Shack: Ritmix RPR-7011 aka Degen DE 319 in a Garden: Here is my Ritmix RPR-7011 aka Degen DE 319 radio in my garden last October 2018.   Main entry on this radio is here . Foru...

My Faulty Sony ICF-SW11

Seeing as I am also into shortwave (mainly) radios, here is another radio from my battery of consumer world radios.

Bought in 2007.

It is a portable analog radio (with 9SW, MW, LW and FM bands) so you shouldn't expect much from it in terms of functionality, also the analog tuning dial has its very obvious limitations, like being unable to determine exactly the frequency you are tuned in to or being unable to tune precisely to a given frequency.

That said, I liked its shortwave reception when I used it a bit soon after I bought it, and thought that it was pretty good on shortwave, all things considered.

However it then developed a major problem with the tuning dial - the pointer first refused to move - then recently regained that ability but the range is shifted upwards somewhat but it doesn't seem to affect ability to tune itself. Described in below video in Russian.

Also it seems now that its reception ability has deteriorated a little - 9 years after it was bought.

Sony still has a couple other much more advance shortwave radios but I am not sure if they still make them or just sell out old stock.

But this radio is still made by Sony and the serial numbers are over 2,000,000 now.

DLT's A Jolly Good Show circa 1995-2001

Radio time - somebody's trying to revive the disgraced DLT's career.

So far without much success.

Radio Shack: VOA 2001 - "No Warming Trend" - Fred Singer Interview

Something from my radio blog.

In 2001 the Voice of America was educating the world on how there had been "no warming trend" since 1940.

The interviewee is Dr. S. Fred Singer, a notable global warming denier but with solid scientific credentials, unlike most others, maybe makes sense.

Also see how it was the United States, specifically the first G. W. Bush administration, that killed the Kyoto Protocol.

llya's Radio Shack: VOA 2001 - "No Warming Trend": In 2001 the Voice of America was educating the world on how there had been "no warming trend" since 1940. The interviewee i...

VOA January 2003 - Communications World

This is for all lovers of radio and especially international shortwave broadcasting.

From my radio archives comes this recording which I digitized yesterday - a VoA January 3, 2003 broadcast with the program Talk to America featuring Kim Elliott's 2003 New Year Communications World edition with international listeners calling in and discussing with the host various issues pertaining to shortwave and other communications topics.

There is also some January 2003 (pre-Iraq war) news too at 23:35.

It was recorded in January 2003 on a cassette tape using a radio / tape recorder whilst tuning in on 810 kHz in Moscow.

llya's Radio Shack: VOA January 2003: From my radio archives is this recording which I digitized today - a VoA January 3, 2003 broadcast with the program Talk to America featuri...

llya's Radio Shack: My 2001 Grundig Yacht Boy 500 World Radio

Here is another one of my many radios -- my 2001 Grundig Yacht Boy 500 (Italia).

By 2001 I mean that I bought it in 2001. The radio itself could be a couple years older than that, maybe 1999, even though I bought it new.

The Grundig YB500 model was introduced in 1993.

As usual this write-up will contain lots of pictures (over 50 in fact).

You can click on them to make them viewable in a Blogger gallery or something.

Starting with the original box which is quite a work of art, I think.

It also gives a basic description of the set which is an FM Stereo / LW / MW / SW PLL Synthesized Receiver utilizing Dual Conversion and with a Radio-Data-System (for FM). RDS is rare to be found in small portable radios.

Box opened.

The list below expands on the above description: the set also allows for 8 digit alphanumeric (?) station names, has a 40 station memory, a ROM-table memory (with international SW broadcasters, of which later in this write-up), a dual alarm clock and a power booster (6 watts).

An instructions manual. It looks that like YB500 had a different name mentioning Italia or maybe there was an Italia-themed version of this set?

EDIT: cleared up the matter of Italia, this one is not it:

and the Yacht Boy 500 Italia, (Part number 9.15056-6151/order number G.RC 2051IB) with restricted LW & SW coverage because of Italian legislation. The Italian set covers LW, 150-302 kHz, and SW, 3950-26100 kHz. 

Paper complement below: two large manuals in many languages, a brief manual in German and English and a Short Wave Reception brochure for those wishing to brush up on their basic understanding of shortwave.

I could have properly registered this set with Grundig when I bought it but I didn't at the time but wish I had. 

 On the other hand, maybe it doesn't matter seeing as the original Grundig is no more.

l's Radio Shack: The "Squeaky Wheel"

The "Squeaky Wheel" as it sounds today... which is not much like a squeaky wheel anymore.

Recorded on May 30, 2016 on 3828 kHz.

Very noisy and crackly and can be heard actually only on USB.

Visual quality is not too good either because recorded at night in virtually no lighting.

Location: 100 km north of Moscow (maybe or maybe not).

Equipment: using my 2001 Grundig YB 500 receiver, PLL synthesized, LSB, USB, ROM - will do an entry on it with pictures soon; no external antenna.

Note: Ability to listen on an USB is very handy in this case and in LSB some. Without the USB function you would have heard nothing much on this frequency.





llya's Radio Shack: The "Squeaky Wheel": The "Squeaky Wheel" as it sounds today. Recorded on May 30, 2016 on 3828 kHz. Very noisy and crackly and can be heard actuall...

My Radios: 2005 Grundig Yacht Boy 80 - WR5408 PLL

Radios (with shortwave bands, the more the merrier) is another object of collecting for me and here is another radio from my collection the 2005 Grundig Yacht Boy 80 also known as the Grundig WR5408 PLL.

I have had it since 2006 and it is not just a collection piece -- far from it -- it is the one that is used the most for my occasional amateur radio activities like a bit of DXing - trying to hear some shortwave radio stations maybe getting QSLs from them.

So far almost all that I have recorded on my dedicated radio blog was received using this very radio set.

And it winters by itself at my country villa in minus 20 or 30 Centigrade temperatures too. But now it is basking in the sun.

 It has a nice soft real leather cover on magnetic fasteners which doubles up as something of a stand.

This review will be short on words (just my general impressions, nothing too technical) but long on pictures.

For some reason I like these time zones schematics. Many of my other radios also have them. See, for example, my header picture on this blog page. But in this case it's on the back so you rarely see it, especially since it is covered by the leather fold.

And a frequency range table.

One of the complaints is that it doesn't include an AC/DC unit which you have to buy separately (as it has no mains power) as I did.

SSB On/Off is there.

Another thing that it doesn't have is a signal strength meter. But everything else seems to be there.

Reception using its telescoping antenna is pretty good. You can find proof of it on this very blog.

I haven't used an external SW antenna yet (even though a reel antenna is included) but am planning to use it this summer.

Other than that, everything is pretty good and ergonomic, easy to use and operate and also durable.

llya's Radio Shack: The Pip

How I found the Pip without realizing it. A Youtube commenter pointed it out. 

The Pip picked up by me in October 2015.

Two kHz off, it's at 3,756 kHz by night.




llya's Radio Shack: The Pip: The Pip picked up by me in October 2015. Two kHz off, it's at 3,756 kHz by night.

Chinese Year of the Monkey

China Radio International English has a dedicated page here.

Also, here is CRI's survey for on China's Top Annual Political Gatherings.

QSL, Radio Romania International - RRI

The last QSL for 2015.

From Radio Romania International - RRI.

Sender's address.

Stamps.

What I got.

An RRI sticker.

Some programming announcements.

The QSL card itself.

Confirms my reception.

This is the reception.