Trying to copy Radio Afghanistan on 6100 kHz

I've been trying to record Radio Afghanistan on 6100 kHz this afternoon with the Eton Satellit and Bonito Boni whip, but with no success. They've been copied by several DXing fellows on YouTube recently, so try to listen out for them. Severe adjacent channel QRM from China makes the English programme difficult to receive with any discernible audio.

The Eton Satellit; is it any good? Moving on to ABC Northern Territories 2325 kHz...

Hi there, wonderful to copy a signal from Tennant Creek on ABC's lowest shortwave band frequency - and one for which the use of SYNC and SSB was appropriate, as a test of those functions and to maximise discernibility. The audio quality on SYNC doesn't seem as clear on the Eton as it does on the Sony ICF-2001D, but it does work, as does SSB. Having said that, a data set of one reception video using SYNC isn't statistically significant, so definitely more to come before my mind is made up. 

It's worth remembering that simply hearing ABC Northern Territories on 120 metres with this little Eton is amazing, given it's (unfair) reputation, thus I certainly wasn't expecting such great things from it! 

Recorded at the woods in Oxford UK on 22/01/17 at 18:56 hrs UTC using a 50 metre longwire. Thanks for watching.

The Eton Satellit; is it any good? Rádio Nacional de Angola 4950 kHz...wonderfully clear signal

Hi there, my clearest reception of Angola to date, using a 50 metre longwire and another vindication of this excellent portable receiver. Rádio Nacional de Angola can be a very challenging DX target, particularly at home, where more often than not, modulation is very low and thus discernible audio difficult to capture. Here on a DXpedition, the Eton really pulls in a strong signal with very clear audio and again, I wasn't anticipating such strong performance. Recorded at the woods in Oxford UK on 22/01/17 at 19:17 hrs UTC using a 50 metre longwire. Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Radio Aparecida 6135.2 kHz, Brazil

Hi there, another station that's very difficult to hear well in Europe and another demonstration of the exemplary performance of the Sonys and although clearly struggling with this weak signal, an excellent effort by the modestly priced Tecsun PL-310ET which actually produces some audio. Amazing really. Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 20:39 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna.

Miniature shortwave marvel: Sony ICF-SW100, Radio Mali 9635 kHz, Bamako

Hi there, another slightly exotic catch using the diminutive (but very capable) Sony ICF-SW100 and the barbed wire fence lol. Radio Mali is extremely difficult to hear well, in fact it's difficult to catch them with any discernible audio. Here the vintage Sony manages it, with a very long rusty piece of barbed wire! Recorded in Oxford UK on 31/12/16 at 16:44 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.

Miniature shortwave marvel: Sony ICF-SW100, Radio Guinée 9650 kHz, with ID

Hi there, my first copy of Radio Guinée with the diminutive Sony ICF-SW100 - and having demonstrated the barbed wire fence doesn't necessarily provide the 'antenna services' of the Bonito Boni whip, here is an exotic station, heard quite clearly, doing just that. Also nice to have recorded a clear ID during this reception. Recorded in Oxford UK on 31/12/16 at 16:39 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.

240 metre barbed wire fence versus Boni whip: Zambia NBC Radio 1, 5915 kHz..the whip wins again!

Hi there, another comparison of the Bonito Boni whip and barbed wire fence and again, the whip does the business. I had serious concerns initially because it's performance at home in the 'electrosmog' was (understandably) terrible, worse than I had imagined. However, out in the field, in a quiet environment as my good friend and fellow whip user Giuseppe points out, it's a brilliantly performing, ultra compact antenna. Perfect for DXpeditions. Here the signal from Lusaka is so much clearer and stronger with the Boni whip, on what I would consider a properly difficult signal to hear well! Recorded in Oxford UK using a Sony ICF-SW55 receiver on 14/01/17 at 17:19 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.

240 metre barbed wire fence vs Boni whip: Voice of Africa 9505 kHz, Sudan..the whip wins yet again!

Hi there, the Boni whip does it again, delivering a stronger signal than the barbed wire fence with this signal from Sudan. My £100 investment is starting to look like a good deal now! Recorded in Oxford UK using a Sony ICF-SW55 receiver on 14/01/17 at 16:44 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.

240 metre barbed wire fence versus Boni whip : AIR National Channel 9380 kHz..the whip wins again!

Hi there, the whip trounces the barbed wire fence again, this time the target is the signal from All India Radio National Channel on 9380 kHz (TX Aligarh, 250 KW). Very nice to see the whip coming into it's own on a DXpedition! Recorded in Oxford UK on 14/01/17 at 16:39 hrs UTC using a Sony ICF-SW55 recevier. More videos in this series to come. Thanks for watching.

Bonito Boni whip versus 240 metre barbed wire fence: Voice of Indonesia 9525 kHz

Hi there, this is the first in a series of tests comparing the effectiveness of the 240 metre barbed wire fence as an antenna, to the very compact Bonito Boni whip. Whilst the fence delivers some very respectable DX with the Tecsun PL-310ET, in this reception video there is only one winner - the Boni whip. Great to finally demonstrate excellent performance of the whip on a DXpedition and for me personally, quite surprising as to how much stronger the signal from Indonesia was on the whip. Recorded in Oxford UK on 14/01/17 at 16:28 hrs UTC using a Sony ICF-SW55 recevier. More videos in this series to come. Thanks for watching.

Ready to start testing the Bonito Boni whip out in the field

Hi there, a short video to share my completed set up of the Boni whip out in the field. Sony ICF-SW55 clipped to the barbed wire fence. Reception videos to follow. Thanks for watching.

Setting up to compare the Bonito Boni whip performance to a 240 metre barbed wire fence

Hi there, I thought this would be an interesting experiment. Having established the effectiveness of the whip against the Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop and a 30 metre longwire in an urban environment, I turned my thoughts to how it would perform in a quiet location, up against one of my established ad-hoc antennas! A further test in the woods will follow, but for now, here is my DXing set up for comparing the whip to the barbed wire fence!. The results which are to follow, are quite surprising. Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Zanzibar BC ‎11735 kHz

Hi there, the next video in thsi series targets the signal from Zanzibar BC in the Indian Ocean. Once again, all three radios deal with this relatively strong signal well, with the Sonys sounding quite similar. The PL-310ET isn't far behind, but clearly the SNR is below that of it's more expensive counterparts. Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 20:25 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

Tecsun PL-310ET: a quick demo of the excellent audio bandwidth filters

Hi there, here is a quick demonstration of the really excellent audio bandwidth filter options on the modestly priced, but brilliant Tecsun PL-310ET. Whilst out on a DXpedition a couple of weeks ago and using the barbed wire fence as my antenna, I tuned to 590 kHz to check the signal from Voice of Tigray Revolution, Addis Ababa. However, all I could hear was splatter from RRI's huge signal on 5955 kHz. Here is a video with commentary explaining how I was able to copy Voice of Tigray Revolution on this budget portable, despite the horrendous adjacent channel QRM. Quite a remarkable little radio. Thanks for watching.

 

My latest article on SWLing Post: Oxford Shortwave Log: Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET

Click the above image of the Sony ICF-SW77 or this text to access the article on SWLing.com

Radio Hargeysa 7120 kHz, Somaliland, great reception...whilst my Sony continued to drown!

Hi there, possibly the best signal I've ever obtained from Radio Hargeysa. The weather was really rubbish and I was concerned that I might end up short-circuiting the Sony as it got very wet. Recorded in oxford UK on 06/01/16 at 16:51 hrs UTC using a Sony ICF-2001D receiver and 75 metre longwire antenna. Thanks for watching.

PBS Xizang 6130 kHz, Tibet, English service...whilst my Sony ICF-2001D slowly drowns!

Hi there, a nice signal from Lhasa-Baiding, Tibet, in English. I've only ever heard this station once previously, a year last december, so this was a pleasing catch.The weather wasn't great and my Sony got very wet during this short DXpedition into the Oxfordshire countryside. Never mind, it's still working and that's the main thing. Recorded on 06/01/16 at 16:47 hrs UTC using a 75 metre longwire antenna. Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Zambia NBC Radio 1 5915 kHz, excellent reception

Hi there, here is another comparison of these three great portables and I have to say, all three perform very well. For me, the best audio is very close between the ICF-SW55 and ICF-SW77....I can't make my mind up lol.The Tecsun also does really well - you wouldn't necessarily expect a sub £40 radio to have the necessary selectivity in this part of the crowded 49 metre broadcast band, but it manages to detect the signal and deliver pretty good audio. A+ again from Tecsun! Recorded in Oxford UK on 19/12/16 at 18:03 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Radio Bandeirantes 11925 kHz, Sao Paolo

Hi there, so it gets even better with the Tecsun PL-310ET. I would never have imagined I could copy Radio Bandeirantes in Sao Paolo with such a modestly priced receiver, but there you go! Here the most relevant issue is which of the Sonys performs better and once again, they're quite evenly matched. It's been a lot of fun testing these three very nice portables, with several more reception videos to come. Recorded in the 'DX' woods in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 20:15 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

Oxford Shortwave Log YouTube channel mentioned in the January edition of Radio User magazine!

Really nice to be mentioned in printed media for the first time. Radio User magazine has been around for a while and incorporates the now defunct Shortwave Magazine which had been around since I was a kid and earlier! Here is the short piece on my Youtube channel - and Pintest board.