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.

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.

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.

Elad FDM DUO: a quick spin through a MW spectrum with more than 20 trans...

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Radio Fana 6110 kHz, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Hi there, another signal that the Tecsun managed to deliver discernible audio from. Again, the Sonys performed at a higher level, as might be expected, but again, the Tecsun is much closer in performance than might be reasonably expected! Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 20:03 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

Radio Hargeysa

I was sent a link to this video about Radio Hargeysa this afternoon - really interesting to see their set-up, inside and out! 73!

Radio User magazine; a quick spin through the January 2017 edition

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Rádio Nacional de Angola 4949.73 kHz

Hi there, this is a really pleasing recording, because a) the PL-310ET managed to pull in a discernible signal from Angola, which in itself is amazing and b) my best ever reception was obtained very temporarily on the ICF-SW55 before it was arguably surpassed a couple of minutes later by the ICF-SW77! Brilliant performance from all three radios and once again, the Tecsun punching above it's weight! Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 19:13 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

Transatlantic MW DX: CHIN Radio 1540 kHz, Toronto Islands, Ontario, first reception

Hi there, nice to catch another personal first at home, rather than on a DXpedition - it's been a while lol. Here the signal from Toronto is subjected to significant adjacent channel QRM on 1539 kHz, yet the excellent selectivity of the Elad manages to pull out a clear signal. Recorded in Oxford UK on 06/12/16 at 07:48 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna (indoors). Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Radio Sonder Grense 3320 kHz, Meyerton, SA

Hi there, the next in the series of comparison tests, this time using a stronger signal from Meyerton, but one which was suffering from adjacent channel QRM. You will notice the Sonys cope very well with the noise, but, as might be reasonably expected, even with a narrow filter setting, the Tecsun is far less assured in it's delivery of clear audio. In order to be certain the signal hadn't either faded out or become completely swamped in QRM, the video finally returns to the Sony ICF-SWS77 and once again, Radio Sonder Grense can be heard with reasonable clarity. Recorded at the woods in Oxford UK on 18/12/16 at 19:46 hrs UTC using a 75 metre longwire. Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Radio Hargeysa 7120 kHz, Somaliland 

Hi there, here is the next comparison test of these three rados and this time using the signal from Radio Hargeysa in Somaliland. This signal can, at times, be sufficiently strong to receive via a telescopic antenna, however, this hasn't been the case for many months. In this particular test, both Sonys manage to deliver discernible audio with relative ease, whilst the Tecsun struggles. Recorded in the 'DX' woods, Oxford UK on 18/12/16 at 18:19 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.

My latest article on SWLing Post...

Sony ICF-SW77: recent DX & comparing performance with the ICF-SW55 & Tecsun PL-310ET

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Radio Mali 9635 kHz, Bamako

Hi there, here is the next test comparing the Sony ICF-SW77 against the ICF-SW55 and Tecsun PL-310ET. With this relatively weak signal, both Sony's reproduce stronger and more discernible audio than the Tecsun, however, to be able to hear an exotic station such as Mali on a portable that costs less than £40 is still quite amazing. As regards the Sonys, there's not much in it, although the audio on the ICF-SW77 was clearest with the narrow audio bandwidth filter, whilst the wide setting produced the best audio on the ICF-SW55. Recorded in Oxford UK on 18/12/16 at 17:09 hrs UTC using a 75 metre longwire. Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: ABC Northern Territories 4835 kHz

Hi there, I mentioned some time ago that I would be testing the Sony ICF-SW77 against the ICF-SW55, having read a review suggesting the original price delta on the SW777 might not be justified, because performance was closely matched with the SW55. I have a lot of experience with the SW55 - it was the mainstay receiver of my Dx'peditions for about a year, until the ICF-2001D took over. The audio bandwidth filters are excellent and of course, it's very sensitve - one of the best ever 'paperback book sized' portables. To mix things up a little and because it's performance has been way beyond my expectations, I threw the PL-310ET into the mix. You would expect it to be nowhere against these two classics, but again, it's relative performance surprised me. Here is a signal from ABC Northern Territories - the first 3-way comparison. Recorded in Oxford UK on 18/12/16 at 17:27 hrs UTC using a 75 metre longwire. Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77: Zambia NBC Radio 1, 5915 kHz, Lusaka, best ever reception

Hi there, I was in the middle of a multiple radio test involving this receiver, when I copied this really nice signal from Zambia. Easily the best reception I've ever obtained and even nicer to do so with the vintage, but brilliant ICF-SW77. You might remember that it was the runner up in the head-to-head test with it's older 'brother' the ICF-2001D, but nevertheless, still a very capable receiver indeed.....and this reception clearly demonstrates that. Recorded in Oxford UK on 19/12/16 at 18:33 hrs UTC using a 75 metre longwire. Thanks for watching.