Shortwave Radio Nostalgia for a Sunday

In my reading about Ham Radio topics, there are often articles about well known Ham Operators who have passed away. "SK" (for "silent key") is added to the end of their call sign, to show that they are no longer with us. One recent silent key was Harry Helms, who was also a writer and author of several books:

Prolific Amateur Radio and SWL Author Harry Helms, W5HLH (ex-AA6FW) (SK)

After a long bout with cancer, Harry Helms, W5HLH (ex-AA6FW), passed away Sunday, November 15. He was 57. Known for his witticism and geniality, Helms was known for his many books -- such as Shortwave Listening Guidebook: The Complete Guide to Hearing the World, All About Ham Radio, How to Tune the Secret Short Wave Spectrum and Handbook of Radio Communications Servicing and Maintenance -- and his monthly column "You Should Know: Interesting Thoughts and Ideas for Enjoying the Hobby" in Popular Communications. [...]

It continues on about his life and the things he wrote about. There's a link to his blog, where I found this post about Shortwave listening:

Thoughts About Shortwave Radio

I have trouble sleeping through the night these days (it’s normal for late Stage IV cancer patients). I often find myself awake two or three times during the night, sometimes for more than an hour. Until I get sleepy again, I grab the Eton E5 portable shortwave radio I keep on my nightstand, put on headphones so I won’t disturb Di, and tune around to see what I can hear.

Why do I do that instead of, for example, listening to my iPod?

Since 1963, I’ve been obsessed with snagging all manner of “non-standard” radio signals. Those include AM and FM broadcast stations from hundreds and thousands of miles away, shortwave broadcasts from foreign countries, communications from ships and airplanes traveling around the globe, military transmissions, ham radio operators-----if it can be tuned on a shortwave radio receiver, I want to hear it. I’ve owned over three dozen different shortwave radios (some of which cost over $1000), numerous accessories (like antenna tuners and audio filters), and specialized antennas (like amplified loops for receiving distant AM band stations). I’ve belonged to numerous radio listening clubs. The first books I wrote were about shortwave listening.

Again, why?? What is it that keeps me searching the airwaves for something distant and unusual?

Part of it is pure nostalgia. Unless you were of sentient age in 1963, you can’t imagine how constricted the flow of information was and how distant the rest of the world seemed back then. The internet was just a theoretical concept and communications satellites were in their infancy. Video of events in foreign nations had to be flown into the United States for broadcast, and magazines and newspapers from outside the United States took weeks to arrive via ship mail. Trying to be aware of the outside world back then was frustrating, like trying to figure out what was going on in a room by peeking through the keyhole.

I wrote in the introduction to my Shortwave Listening Guidebook that I considered my first shortwave radio to be a “magic box.” And indeed it was. Strange languages and exotic music gushed from the speaker of my simple Hallicrafters radio. Cities like Moscow, London, Quito, Melbourne, and Tokyo were in my bedroom with me. I eavesdropped on ship-to-shore telephone calls and communications from airplanes flying routes across the Atlantic. And there were also the dits and dahs of Morse code, the “beedle-beedle” of radioteletype stations, and all sorts of other bewildering noises. I even found myself entranced by station WWV, then in Maryland, and its precise time signals, one beep exactly each second.

When I got my first shortwave radio, it was like that moment in The Wizard of Oz when the movie abruptly changes from black and white to color; the world suddenly seemed smaller and more real to me. I couldn’t visit all those distant foreign places, but they could visit me. And I still get that feeling after 45 years of shortwave. Even though my world is media saturated, with the internet and 150 TV channels available to me, there remains something special about connecting to a distant place via shortwave radio.

Another attraction is the “DXing” aspect of radio. DXing is the art of trying to receive rarely-heard stations on various frequencies. To those not interested in DXing, this must seem like a ridiculous activity, and I suppose it is. But I get a feeling of accomplishment bordering on exhilaration when I manage to identify a weak, unusual radio signal through heavy interference. Maybe the best analogy I can make is to fishing. You never know what’s going to happen when you cast a line into the water, and you never what you’ll hear when you turn the dial of a shortwave radio. Whenever I hear a faint signal barely above the background noise, I am almost forced to stop and try to identify it. It’s as if the station is keeping a secret from me----its identity----and I want to learn that secret. To solve the mystery, I have to battle fading, interference, noise, and distortion. My shortwave radio becomes like a musical instrument in my hands. By manipulating its tuning knob and controls, I can coax weak signals to become more intelligible and, when the gods of the ionosphere cooperate, those faint signals will yield their secrets to me and I am briefly, almost mystically, connected to some distant place. My desire for connections to distant places was probably my biggest motivation for getting a ham radio license. [...]

There's more. There's a whole lot more on his blog, about his ongoing health struggles, and commentary on various other topics. He was a writer who enjoyed writing. His last blog entry, his farewell, was very moving.

My condolences to his wife and family.



Related Link:

Radio Communications in a Changing World
A prior post, about my own nostalgia for the shortwave radio of my youth.

     

Radio Communications in a Changing World

In the late 1970's, for my 18th Birthday, my parents really surprised me with a unique gift: a Transistorized Multiband Portable Radio. It was similar to the photo below, but the photo is of an older model:




The one my parents bought for me was I think the 1977 or 78 version of the Realistic Model# 12-750, or DX-60 or Patrolman series. The radio that looks the most like it is this vintage Patrolman CB-6 on Youtube.

Mine had little icons next to the bands, an airplane for Aviation, a boat for Marine... if I remember correctly it could receive broadcasts in AM, FM, Shortwave, Mediumwave, Longwave, Weather band, Marine band, Aviation band. I had endless hours of fun with it. I discovered the Atomic Clock in Fort Collins, Co. and it's sister station in Hawaii. Morse code transmissions. Satellite/Aviation beacons, a wide assortment of foreign stations overseas, many broadcasting in languages I didn't know, but many in English too. A whole new big wide world was literally opened up to me.

I took that radio to college with me. When I dropped out and eventually moved to California, it went with me. For a time in San Francisco, I lived in some cockroach infested places. When I was eventually able to move out, the roaches were in my belongings, and I had to spray everything. Unfortunately in the process, some got in the radio, and ruined it.

A few years later, a made an impulse buy at radio shack and got another shortwave radio, a Realistic DX-100:




But I was too impulsive; it wasn't as comprehensive has my old radio, it only did 4 major shortwave bands and AM. It also required a long copper wire outdoor antennae to work well, and that was not easy or convenient to do living in the city. So the radio stayed boxed up for years, all but forgotten.

Almost 30 years later, I find myself living in the Oregon countryside. I realize I still have the SW radio sitting in the bottom of my closet. I unpack it and set it up, and ... nothing. I can't pull in anything, not even the Atomic Time Clock. Very disappointing.

But I had not set up an external antenna. I had a kit to do it, that I had never used. But now I had plenty of space for it, so I set up the long copper wire outside, running from the window to a tree.




This time, the results were much better. I was able to find both Atomic clocks. Several Asian stations, in Chinese and Japanese. Australia and New Zealand Broadcasts. Radio Havana, with their horrible commie news in English. Numerous Spanish speaking stations, and Radio Netherlands, in Dutch and in English. And of course, a bunch of religious broadcasts.

It's been great fun rediscovering some of these things. But something is different. There just seems to be a lot LESS out there on the airwaves. Less morse code. Less shortwave programs. Just... less.

Now it's true, this shortwave radio I have now doesn't have all the bands that my first radio had. So I'm not getting the Marine, Aviation and Weather bands, and not as many shortwave one's either. I'm sure that explains some of it. I've also read that shortwave reception on the West coast isn't as good as elsewhere in the USA.

But what about the BBC? That used to be the easiest to get. Maybe I just haven't tuned in at the right time yet. But now you can get BBC re-broadcasts on regular radio, so do they still do SW for the US?

I've recently been looking at the new radios for sale on Amazon.com and Radio Shack. I've been looking for a multiband radio like the one my parents had bought for me so many years ago. I can't find one like it. But while reading the comments posted by people about the various new radios, I have learned a few things about radio communications in our changing world.

It seems that many countries who used to direct their SW broadcasts to America simply don't bother to do it anymore. The purpose of SW broadcasts, was to get news and information about your country to other countries. But in America, so many people are on the internet, they can get that information without even turning on a radio. In fact, nowadays most Americans are more likely to turn on a computer than a SW radio, so why bother?

Even on the SW stations I have gotten, they often broadcast their website address when they do their station identification. The Web has changed things considerably, making the NEED for shortwave redundant.

HAM radio (Amateur radio) has also been affected by the internet. HAM radio operators used to pass along personal messages and information to members of the armed forces, who were often otherwise inaccessible. Yet in todays world, soldiers often have access to email and telephones for keeping in touch with their families. Ham radio is used less for that purpose than it used to be.

In my search for a multiband radio, I have found that the CB, weather, Marine and Aviation bands are nowadays most often put on devices called Scanners. A scanner can cost as much as a shortwave radio. But if you want all the bands, it seems you have to buy more than one device. I think there may simply be MORE bands now too.

What I've read about CBs (Citizens' band radio) is interesting. In the 70's and 80's Citizen Band radios were all the rage. Available CB bands in the US were expanded from 27 to 40. Yet nowadays, there is much less traffic on the CB bands. That's great for the people who still use them, but why? There are several reasons.

FRS (Family Radio Service) and GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) frequencies have become very popular along with the new walkie-talkie type devices that use them. They are inexpensive, easy to use and widely available. They also don't have some of the interference problems that CB's can have.

The other thing that has cut into the CB market is cell phones. They are so prevalent today, that they make CB's redundant in many cases. Some CB enthusiasts argue that CB is cheaper because there are no subscription fees involved. But CB broadcasts are not private, and the equipment is bulkier and thus less convenient. And you can't call someone on their phone with your CB. Thus many people consider the CB to be "outdated technology", though it's still useful for situations where a cellphone isn't viable. It's still widely used by truckers in the US, and people who travel the roads a lot say it's a great way to monitor traffic conditions ahead.

While reading about all this, I came across this interesting and detailed site by amateur radio enthusiast Max Summerville. He has noted many of the changes in the world of radio over the years:

BROADCAST, SHORTWAVE & HAM RADIO
RECEPTION MEMORIES & EQUIPMENT PICTOGRAPHY

[...] I occasionally turn on a Panasonic RF-2200 to listen to shortwave, and sometimes the Sony ICF-2010, but what with the veritable plethora of propagandists, preachers and conspiracy theorists, I can't find much that interests me. I just wish all the old signals were still there.

I am now almost 50 and still an avid enthusiast of the "unusual" on the radio. I am saddened by each disappearance from the radio bands of faithful, comforting sounds never to be heard again. LORAN, marine band ship to shore, the voice-format utility stations, CW pileups, full-quieting AM reception, the woodpecker (don't really miss that one), the BBC, Happy Station, HCJB, and in general... english language SW broadcasts of any entertainment value. I have not heard Radio Tirana, Radio Moscow, Radio South Africa or Deutsche Welle for years, now that I think of it. The internet has killed a lot of the magic of radio. Thank goodness for AM on 75. [...]

So it's not just me, things really have changed, a lot of things aren't on the airwaves anymore. I enjoyed Max's site, he's done a lot of things with radio that I would have liked to have done, but never got around to. I never got past just passive listening.

There is an active Amateur Radio Club in a town near where I live. I thought about joining, but I'm not sure I'd have the time to get into it, not to mention the cost of the equipment. I find the idea appealing, but I'm just not sure what amateur radio is for anymore.

All things considered, it's a different world. Even if I somehow still had my wonderful gift radio of yester-year, I would be tunning in a different world with different needs because of newer technologies. There is that old saying, "You can't go back". I guess this is one of those instances.

But if you can't go back you can still go forward, so maybe I need a radio upgrade! What does newer technology offer for shortwave receivers? I recently got a sample.

I've wanted to buy an emergency hand-crank radio, that didn't rely completely on batteries. So I bought one for under $50.00, that had limited shortwave capabilities My choice was the Kaito KA009R that I posted about recently.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that my new cheap little KA009R was able to receive shortwave stations better than my old Realistic DX-100... even without the benefit of the long copper wire antenna! The emergency radio lacks fine-tuning controls, but it still gets less squelching and interference than the DX-100. It makes me wonder what a newer, more expensive shortwave radio would be like.

This one looks like one I would like to have:


Eton S350DL AM/FM Shortwave Deluxe Radio Receiver (Black)

The S350DL has external antenna jacks, fine tuning knobs, etc. These are all the things I think a good SW radio would need. But then, look at this radio, and the many good reviews it's gotten:



Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception

It doesn't have all the tuning knobs, but buttons... I don't yet understand all the technology and terminology. All these high tech toys, and too many decisions. So much to learn, so little time. Aren't hobbies fun?
     

Hand Crank Radio: the Kaito KA009R

For some time I've wanted to get one of those emergency radios that have a hand crank to charge an internal battery, in case we ever have an extended power outage, or just to use in the yard. But which one to buy?

I had seen a selection at Radio Shack, but none of their crank radios offered shortwave. I wanted one that offered AM/FM, shortwave and NOAA (weather) channels, so I looked on-line at Amazon.com. There, I found this:


Kaito KA009R 4-Way Powered Emergency Crank Radio

Product Description
Stay prepared and informed with the KA009R from KAITO. If the power goes out and batteries aren't available, the KA009 can function for up to an hour with only two minutes of hand cranking or an hour's exposure under direct sunlight Its built-in generator means that even in the most desperate situations, you'll still have access to local news and information--as well as to news from around the world.

This radio is a newly released and improved version of Kaito's widely acclaimed emergency radio KA009, it has all the nice features that a KA009 can offer, plus it comes with six different adapters for charging cell phones, so you can use the radio to power up your cell phone to make important phone calls when the battery is out.

The unit's 10-band tuning receives AM, FM, SW 1-4, TV 1/2, weather and aviation stations. AM:525 ------1700KHz; FM:88 ------108 MHz; WEATHER Band: 162.40 - 162.55 MHz; TV1:Channel 2 - 6; TV2:Channel 7- 13; Air Band (Aviation): 118 - 137 MHz; 4 Continuous short wave 4.00 to 26MHz (Covers most of the world stations). Accessories include AC/DC adapter, cell l phone charging adapters, Earphones, Soft Antenna included and User manual.

It's the latest model in the KAxxx series, which have generally gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon.com. And not only does it get the channels I wanted, it also offers a solar panel on the back:


So even if the crank breaks or the internal rechargeable battery dies, I can still run the radio in bright sunlight. It can also take regular batteries and comes with an AC power cord too, so there are plenty of options to use. The AC cord recharges the internal battery, so you only need the hand crank for power outages. It also comes with a selection of cell-phone adapters, so you can use the crank to recharge your self phone.

The tuning is pretty good, the small speaker is remarkably good for it's size. I would have preferred more fine tuning controls for the shortwave bands, but even so, it pulls in shortwave stations better than my old dedicated shortwave radio that has fancier tuning controls. I'm impressed.

The price is also a bit cheaper than most of the others in it's class, yet it has more options. In my opinion, this one's a keeper.

No crank radio is going to sound as good as a more expensive portable stereo boom box. I think this radio is good, for what it is. If it's high fidelity you want, then you probably want something other than an emergency crank radio. I chose this one after reading many reviews of many different crank radios. Your experience may vary, depending on what radio reception is like in your area, and what your expectations are. Amazon has lots of buyer reviews to guide you. If you don't like this one, check out the others.

UPDATE, 02-02-09: I've been using the Kaito for a while now, as a portable to listen to when I'm doing work in the yard. I've noticed that the AM stations often bleed into each other, and can drift out of tune. FM fairs a bit better. The TV bands are about to become obsolete on the 17th, but that isn't the radio's fault.

One thing I don't like about this radio, is that there is no fine tuning knob. The battery and solar panel work fine. SW is always kind of scratchy, but it seems that every emergency crank radio I've read about says the same thing about the SW frequencies.

I've recently ordered another radio, the Eton FR250 Emergency Crank Radio. It has no solar panel, but it does have a fine tuning control. I will post a comparison of the two radios after I have used them both for a while.


Reviews from Amazon.com:
Kaito KA009R 4-Way Powered Emergency Crank Radio

Reviews from Amazon.com, for the older but similar model:
Kaito KA009 4-Way Powered Emergency Radio, Color Black

Browse an assortment of Emergency crank radios:
Amazon.com search: "Emergency crank radio"