NASWA Journal Columns · NASWA Notes, May 1997

NASWA Notes, May 1997

Last Updated on October 12, 2005 by Ralph Brandi

Shortly after the Journal was published last month, we learned of the closing of Gilfer Shortwave from Executive Council member Jerry Berg: “The rumors about Gilfer are true. Whether they have officially gone out of business, or “suspended operation,” they are closed, seemingly for good. John Figliozzi has confirmed this with Paul Lannuier. The store is for rent, blinds drawn. Gilfer opened its doors in 1952. Over the years I had always found it a pleasure to deal with Perry and Jeanne Ferrell, and then Paul, all of whom gave the business their personal touch. Gilfer was the first “real” commercial contact in the hobby for many of us.”

For those interested in contacting Publisher Bill Oliver through electronic channels, try his new e-mail address <boliver@philly.infi.net>. Bill enjoys hearing from his fan club!

The addition of another Dr. Gene Scott station has prompted action by one of our committees. Country List Chairman Don Jensen asks me to pass along that his committee has added Anguilla (under North America) to the club’s country list. Please update your copy of the list. Copies of the club’s Country List and Awards booklet can be obtained for $2.00 through Kris Field at the Company Store address on the back cover.

From Paul Ormandy <paulorm@es.co.nz> we have additional details about next year’s convention in New Zealand: “Things are under way and many DXers have expressed their interest in attending. The Convention will start on Thursday the 5th of February at 3 p.m. with a welcome with a full program of activities on the Friday and Saturday, farewell and clean-up on Sunday. Friday is “Waitangi Day” here in NZ and is a holiday for most. Registration forms will be posted soon.”

Bob Padula tells us that The Australasian Shortwave Guide–Edition No. 2–Z97 will be released the first week of May. Coverage is English broadcasts to Australia and Oceania with special supplementary articles. The first edition carried a special feature about DX’ing Madagascar. A copy can be obtained for US$10.00 direct from Bob (404 Mont Albert Road, Surrey Hills, Victoria 3127, Australia). This guide is highly recommended. In addition, Bob is setting up the “DX Radio Bookshop” which will provide mail order service primarily in support of the shortwave radio monitoring community in Australia. The Bookshop initially will be offering 17 different titles. A four-page catalogue is available from Bob at the above address.

PLAYDX carried the results of the “1st Europirate Contest Memorial M. Ravigneaux” held in late December/early January. The winner was Maik Koehler of Germany with 2,424 points. He was followed by Klaus Fuchs with 1,650 points and Klaus Winter with 1,550 points. Germans finished 1, 2, and 3! There were 37 participants in the contest. We have the North American DX Championships. Would NASWA members be interested in a North American pirate DX’ing contest in October? Your thoughts on this subject would be welcome (Musings?).

TDP SW-97, the Transmitter Documentation Project, has just been released. This is edition number four which details information about transmitters used by shortwave radio stations around the world. The project is the result of more than ten years of research by Belgian DX’er Ludo Maes. The 80-page booklet arranges information by country. Each listing indicates the name of the station, transmitter site, geographic coordinates, call-sign, number of transmitters, power, manufacturer, type number, year of installation, and year out of service. With the help of Latin DXpert Takayuki Inoue Nozaki, a lot of information on shortwave transmitters in Central and South America have been added. The booklet can be ordered from TDP, c/o Ludo Maes, P. O. Box 1, 2310 Rijkevorsel, Belgium. The cost is US$10.00 or 10 International Reply Coupons via priority mail or US$7.00 or 7 IRCs via economy mail.

That’s it for this month. Enjoy this month’s edition of the JOURNAL; it’s another good one.

ANARC SWL Net

Tune in Sunday mornings at 10 A. M. Eastern Time on 7240 LSB for the latest in shortwave, medium wave and longwave listening, DX tips, and up to the minute hobby news. Contributors share their DX tips via their own amateur radio stations or by telephoning a “gateway” station who then broadcasts the relayed tips. Contributions are also accepted via the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel #swl while the net is in progress. Net Controls Dave Kirby N1DK, Hausie WB4JSP, and Bob Curtis W1EXZ host an always lively gang of DX monitors. (Best heard in the eastern half of NAm) Net info is also available at <http://www.trsc.com/swl_net.htm>.

Our Motto is – “Unity and Friendship”

Contribute!

Send your loggings and QSL information off to our Distributing Editor, Fred Kohlbrenner (2641 South Shields Street, Philadelphia, PA 19142). He will forward them to the appropriate editor. Remember, Fred has now expanded his business to include QSL report information and totals for the Scoreboard column. He can also be reached through the Internet at: fkohl@ix.netcom.com.

FRENDX: Twenty Five Years Ago….

The Loudenboomer Report presented Charlie’s Believe It Or Not: The shortest club existence on record was the Badlands DX’ers Alliance. It was organized one afternoon by three young DX’ers who made up lists, printed and mailed out a bulletin, set membership dues and closed the club in 4 hours, 12 minutes and 17 seconds–it was too much work! Among the new members was Alan Mayer and Dennis Rodman (!). Renewals included M. R. Leonhardt and Tom Gavaras (2nd year), Al Sizer (5th year), and Grady Ferguson (6th year). Ed Shaw reported the 1972 ANARC Convention would be in the Boston area. In the Shortwave Center, Don Jensen writes about “Broadcasting From Kashmir”. In the “Open Mike,” Charlie Loudenboomer of Transylvania notes: “The station noted in the April SWC with an IS of a piece of Asian pottery being smashed is obviously Radio Bang-la-Dish.” Country List additions included Bangladesh and United Arab Emirates. Larry Magne presented his first Log Report column.

Calendar Of Events

May 16: Meeting. Philadelphia Area NASWA Chapter. Kulpsville Holiday Inn, Kulpsville, PA at 7:30 PM. For more information contact Dan Cashin at 215-446-7831.
May 16: Meeting. Boston Area NASWA Chapter. The Lexington Club, Rts. 4 & 225, Lexington, MA at 7:30 PM. The location is 1/4 mile west of Rt. 128, Exit 31. For more information contact Paul Graveline at 508-470-1971 or Internet: 74007.3434@compuserve.com. Check the BADX Web Page: <http://www.grove.net/~badx/>.
May 17: Meeting. The Miami Valley DX Club (all band orientation) meets at 1:00 PM. For more information plus this months meeting location contact Dave Hammer at 614-471-9973 or write to MVDXC, Box 292132, Columbus, OH 43229-8132.
Jun 8: Meeting. The Tidewater SWL’s meet at 6:30 PM. For more information plus meeting location contact Joe Buch at 804-721-2782 or Internet: joseph.buch@dol.net
Jun’97: Convention. The 31st Annual European DX Council (“EDXC”) Conference will be held on 6-9 June 1997 at the Hotel Lazne in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. It will be organized by the Czechoslovakian DX Club. Information can be obtained from Jaroslav Bohac, Jizerska 2900/11, 400 11 Usti n. L., Czech Republic; FAX +42 47 5211819, e-mail: khonzik@bbs.infima.cz.
Jul’97: Convention. IRCA Convention will be held in Costa Mesa, CA on July 25-27 at the Holiday Inn Bristol Plaza. Registration is $35.00 which includes the banquet. Contact Mike Sanburn, P. O. Box 1256, Bellflower, CA 90707.
Aug’97: Convention. WTFDA Convention has been tentatively set for August 1-3. Convention host John Broomhall is exploring two sites: North Georgia mountains (about 75 miles from Atlanta) and in or near Metropolitan Atlanta. Activities include station tours, amateur TV demonstration, FCC Regional Field Office visit, guest speaker(s) and informal Q&A panel discussion. Further details when received.
Aug’97: Convention. The annual DX summer meeting of the Finnish DX Association will be held in Oulu, in Northern Finland. The meeting is being arranged by DX-Club of Oulu, a local branch of FDXA, on 1-3 August 1997. Further information is available from Ari Kilponen, Annantie 7 G, FIN-90560, Oulu, Finland or e-mail: ark@pp.netppl.fi
Aug’97: Convention. NRC Convention will be held Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 29-Sep. 1) in Delaware. Further details and information will appear when received.
Oct’97: Contest. 1997 Adventist World Radio Contest. Further information will be published in the Journal or you can send a self-addressed stamped envelope to 1997 AWR Contest, c/o Dr. Adrian Peterson, Box 29235, Indianapolis, IN 46229.
Feb’98: Convention. New Zealand Radio DX League will hold its 50th anniversary convention sometime in February 1998. Exact dates and venue have not been established. Information from NRZDXL, P.O. Box 2956, Wellington, New Zealand. Further details and information will appear when received.
Mar’98: Contest. 1998 North American DX Championships. Further information will be published in the Journal or you can send a self-addressed stamped envelope to 1998 NADXC, c/o Dr. Harold Cones, 2 Whits Court, Newport News, VA 23606.
Mar’98: Convention. The 11th Annual Winter SWL Festival will be held at the Kulpsville Holiday Inn (Exit 31 on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike) on 13-15 March 1997. Organized by the infamous “gang of three” (Messrs. Brown, Cones, and Field) this all wave gathering attracts about 200 hobbyists each year.

Musings

This column provides a forum wheras members can express comments, ideas, and thoughts about NASWA or the SW radio hobby. Please feel free to comment on anything presented this month (or previous months). Opinions expressed here are are soley those of the submitters. Please submit all Musings to Richard A. D’Angelo, 2216 Burkey Dr., Wyomissing, PA 19610 or via email – r.dangelo3@genie.com

Eric Bueneman (N0UIH), 631 Coachway Lane, Hazelwood, MO 63042-1347 (E-mail: EricB631@juno.com)

At a hamfest on January 27, I managed to purchase an MFJ-1778 G5RV antenna. Although a G5RV antenna is designed for HF Amateur Radio operation, I wondered how such an antenna would do in an SWBC setting. So, I plunked down my $27, and bought the antenna.

With the antenna still rolled up, I was able to pull in Radio Quito from Ecuador on 4919 kHz at near-local strength. I put up the antenna in the attic of my house a week later, and was virtually amazed at the performance of the antenna, as compared to the homebrew antenna (made of, strangely enough, a metal coathanger and speaker wire) I had been using since late 1991. For instance, tropical band stations were coming in much better and with more frequency. For example, GBC from Guyana on 3290, which had been barely heard on the homebrew antenna, had a fair signal with the G5RV. The best Radio Australia frequencies in the wee hours of the morning local time (after 0800 UTC), 9580 and 9860, were blasting in like locals. I was able to hear a lot of AM (MW) broadcast band DX on the new antenna, and heard LW beacons as low as 300 kHz with it, too. I noted local signals from the “LM” beacon on 338 kHz from St. Charles, MO and the “ST” beacon on 404 kHz from Cahokia, IL.

The new antenna has allowed another new interest…DXing pirates! The first pirate I heard was “Up Your Radio Shortwave” at 0205 UTC on March 16, heard on 6955 kHz USB. I’ve also heard “WARR” and Kiwi Radio, among others. I had not heard a pirate station on SW in fifteen years of Dxing prior to the abovementioned date.

73, Eric-N0UIH

Errol Urbelis, 563 Meadow Road, Kings Park, NY 11754-5009

After looking over my QSL collection many times, I always stop and look at the KJES QSL card from the Lords Ranch in Mesquite, New Mexico. You know the station, the one with the kids doing the Bible programs. The last QSL from them was on a 3 x 5 index card; boy does that stand out.

I was wondering (about 500 times), wouldn’t it be nice as a courtesy gesture to have a QSL card printed up for them. I really think it would be a good will endeavor on NASWA’s part being a major shortwave club worldwide.

I have spoken to several DX’ers at the Winter SWL Festival who agree with my opinion about spreading friendship as well as the good name of NASWA. I had a nice chat with Bill Plum, our ace mint stamp guy who also does some QSL card printing, who wouldn’t mind doing the job at a reasonable rate. We all know what a great job he does with the FEST pennants in years gone by. Hope we can get the ball rolling on this project as I am sure it will turn out for the best.

73s, Errol

John T. Wagner, retired! <WAGNERND@AOL.COM>

Sub: SWL Mobileering

Rich, I just finished reading Alan Johnson’s very accurate review of the new AKD HF-3 Portable receiver (I believe the Lowe SRX-100 to be the very same receiver). If I might I would like to add a few comments pertaining to Alan’s excellent reviews & the help Alan and the entire Journal staff has been to me & my little corner of the hobby. First I would like to add that the big benefit to me for lending Alan a steady flow of new Giz Mo’s for use in the Journal is a very big help to me and worth what little I have invested in postage expenses from sending Alan some of my fun hobby things. I am very well repaid by being able to read Alan’s & Joe Bush’s equipment reviews & tec. articles.

I am not a newbie anymore I guess, but I sure gain a lot of hobby knowledge with every edition of the Journal. I have the luxury of being retired with plenty of time to play “Radio”. I am continually amazed as to how the whole Journal staff are able to work full time, write articles that really add to my hobby fun & yet still have time to do some tuning on their own. My hat is off for the entire staff & even those club members who send in their logs. Reading the equipment lists as used by the contributors is very educational as well. Good job & thanks to you all!

Back to the AKD HF3 for a moment. I have fun working with new SWL’ers. One of the most common hobbyist complaints that I hear is”I don’t have enough time to tune”! How true that lament is! Hearing that as many times as I have motivated me some 8 months ago to spend some of my lucky leisure time trying to develop a useable mobile SWL system. Anyone who has ever climbed into a car with a portable hoping to steal a few extra minutes of SW listening has full knowledge as to what an amplified alternator sounds like! Until recently that was my experience.

I have been trying a lot of various portable receivers & by shear luck, & the process of elimination, have stumbled onto a very workable mobileering method. There are a few other SW portables that also work rather quietly in the mobile environment. I have a good list for later sharing if anyone is interested. Finding a very good mobile portable such as the AKD HF3 was not the biggest challenge. To cut to the chase, the antenna was! I sure tried a lot of commonly advertised mobile antennas. Expensive ones also. I have to pat that Palomar Super Snooper on the back. Yes, I know that others have their own private & favorite mobile antennas. But, that Sooper Snooper by Palomar is a very fine mobile antenna clear across the entire SWL range, including ssb on the Ham Bands! The cost is right also. As I recall the Sooper Snooper was only $40, very reasonable if you’ve checked the price of mobile antennas lately! It is also a very good base antenna for YB 400’s, San. 909’s ect.

The use of that antenna is not relegated to a Radio Shack window mount either. I also use a trunk mount and an adapter for very stable & full general coverage SW mobile coverage! That Sooper Snooper is a very good investment, mobile or base! Again, I whole heartedly agree with Alan’s review. But for a very good & a very reasonable SWL mobileering ride that pair does do a very commendable job. No regrounding of my antenna mobile either!

Thanks very much to Alan & the whole Journal staff. The entire hobby is the better on account of you good people! 73

Finally, on the lighter side of shortwave radio comes the following from Paul McDonough and the BAD guys. The only thing you need to know before reading the posting is that the BAD Guys meet at a health club. Hopefully, the rest is self-explanatory. –RAD

Paul V. McDonough <pmcdonou@world.std.com>, Somerville, MA

Subject: Rules For Next BADX Meeting

Hi folks,

Seeing as how out-of-control the last meeting was, I propose a new set of meeting rules based on the last meeting.

No more belly-dancers during the meeting. It really throws peoples’ concentration off. The clinking of the castanets makes it hard to hear the DX tapes.
Wait to tap the keg until AFTER the meeting. I didn’t like it when I came back and found someone had put the keg hose into my R8. I came back from the break and there was beer shooting out of my S-meter. I hate it when that happens.
No more belly flops from the window into the pool during the meeting. I think we scared some of the pool occupants.
No more playing tape recordings under water in the pool. Although I appreciated listening to what an auroral trans-polar signal sounds like with all the fluttering and stuff, I think we scared health club members.
Fist fights will only be allowed in the parking lot after the meeting. (Come on guys, the R8A isn’t THAT much better than the R8.)
I don’t think the health club appreciated us hooking up the Baygen wind-up radio to the Stairmaster and making that innocent woman generate electricity for our radio.
The sauna is downstairs. I don’t think it was funny cranking up the temperature to 90+ degrees and breaking the thermostat. I knew things were bad when the health club started distributing towels to our group.
Just as dwarf-tossing is bad, so is tube-rig-tossing. When I missed catching the Hallicrafters and it went through the wall, I don’t think I should have been blamed for the damage. (I hope the meditation group next door recovered from the intrusion. Too bad about the acupuncture guy though. Do we have insurance?)
Pizza is not a toy. Throwing the slices at the ceiling and making them stick really isn’t funny. I hope they don’t fall down during an important health club meeting or something.
Sticking the new member into the VCR probably wasn’t our best moment. We should work on our greeting skills. (Making him sniff the white-board markers during the whole meeting probably wasn’t a good idea either. I’ll make it an action item for the next meeting.)
Calling Port Moresby from the health club phone to ask if they have Prince Albert in a can at the radio station was not a good idea. But that’s just my opinion.

Anyway, I hope the next meeting is better than the last one.

Enjoy, Paul

P.S. For the humor-impaired, all of the above is a joke. Only 8 people showed but we still had a good meeting. Since so few showed, I thought it would be funny to make up some outrageous things that happened. Now get back to your SW radio!

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