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.

The Eton Satellit; is it any good? Let's start with ABC Northern Territories on 120 metres...

Hi there, the Eton Satellit has had mixed reviews since it's launch, with particular focus on poor SYNC audio and inferior raw sensitivity - at least when compared to it's older, bigger 'Satellit' siblings. As a result, some hobbyists and commentators have questioned whether it's even worthy of the 'Satellit' branding.

As most of you know, I own some very capable portable receivers and on the basis of what I recorded with the Eton over the weekend, in terms of raw sensitivity, this little radio might be up there with the very best portable radios ever made. Here is wonderful reception of ABC Northern Territories from Katherine on 120 metres, which tops all of my previous receptions. If the Eton can do this, then clearly it isn't suffering from intrinsic poor sensitivity and I would need convincing that a vintage Satellit would be much more capable. 

More videos to come to further demonstrate the sensitivity and various other aspects of the Eton's performance. Recorded at the woods in Oxford UK on 22/01/17 at 18:52 hrs UTC using a 50 metre longwire. Thanks for watching. PS Goodbye to ABC on shortwave, you'll be missed.

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.

Urban DX antenna test #3: Comparing 30 metre longwire to Boni whip

Hi there, the third reception video in this series of tests, comparing the Bonito Boni whip with a 30 metre longwire in an urban environment and then, as usual, a check on how the signal is heard with the Wellbrook ALA1530. In this example of the signal from Myanmar Radio 5985 kHz, there is no audio with either the longwire or Boni whip, only the ALA1530 manages to resolve some audio from their weak modulation. A LW and MW example to come, where, in one instance, the Boni whip prevails against the longwire. Conclusion: on SW, there is no advantage to the whip over a longwire, but no disadvantage either. Thanks for watching.

 

Urban DX antenna test #2: Comparing 30 metre longwire to Boni whip

Hi there, the second comparison video in this series, this time using the large signal from CRI on 6020 kHz. Again, there's little difference in SNR performance between the 30 metre longwire and Boni whip. More to come. Thanks for watching.

 

Latest QSl card arrived.... from EWTN

Medium wave DX: 1310 kHz - is this CIWW 1310 News, Ottawa, Ontario?

Hi there, this is presumed because no clear ID can be heard. Intially I thought this signal might be WLOB, but then I thought probably not and this was confirmed by Matthias as there is no mention of Fox News or their usual fanfare. With a TX power of 50 kW, CIWW is another likely candidate. If anyone can shed further light on this catch, I'd be very grateful. Recorded in Oxford UK, on 07/01/17 at 07:59 hrs using an Elad FDM DUO and Wellbrook loop (indoors). 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.

 

Bonito Boni whip versus Wellbrook ALA1530 test #7 winner: Wellbrook (7 wins out of 7)

Hi there, this is the final test comparing these two antennas in my noise-laden shack, using the Afia Darfur signal on 9510 kHz, from Santa Maria di Galeria, Rome, Italy. Once again, reasonable reception on the Wellbrook with an audio bandwidth filter of 6.6 kHz and a signal pushing over S9. However, once the whip is connected, the noise floor increases by more than 10 Decibels and the signal almost dissapears under the blanket of amplified noise. So it's 7 wins out of 7 for the Wellbrook, but I'm not giving up. For the next test, I'm interested to see how the whip performs against a 30 metre piece of wire slung around the garden - a less than ideal arrangement I used for some time before I purchased the Wellbrook. Then finally I'm going to take them both out to the woods and run another comparison. I must reiterate that I really want the Boni whip to prove itself an excellent performer in a quiet environment, because that would give me an excellent, very portable antenna to use on DXpeditions. Thanks for watching.