Shortwave
Sangean 803a / Realistic DX440 Shortwave modification for extended coverage
Submitted by akreider on Tue, 08/06/2019 - 19:48.It's unfortunate that one of the few pieces of work / innovation that I've done that is not actually archived on the internet (at least so far as I can tell) is my description of how to modify the Sangean 803a (and presumably it works for clones like the Realistic DX-440) shortwave radio so that it can get an increased range of frequencies.
The Sangean 803a was my first digital shortwave radio. It served me well when I bought it in 1989 or 1990 until the time that it broke. To this day, the radio's keypad and usability surpassed that of all the other radios I've owned.
QS1R: Software Defined Radio for Shortwave Radio - A Review
Submitted by akreider on Sat, 04/27/2013 - 18:15.I recently got back into shortwave radio after staying away due to the horrible urban RFI situation. I previously used a Drake R8 original. That was a great radio, but having a software defined radio is a vastly different experience.
Wellbrook Loop Antenna - Resources List
Submitted by akreider on Thu, 12/13/2012 - 00:29.I recently purchased a Wellbrook 1530+ loop antenna to receive shortwave and mediumwave (aka AM) radio stations.
The information about this amazing antenna is scattered all over the internet - so I'm compiling a list of resources for people considering buying it.
There are two companies that produce small (one meter diameter) loop antennas that do a great job of rejecting locally produced electronic noise while still receiving desired radio signals.
Listen to Shortwave Radio Online - with a powerful tuner
Submitted by akreider on Wed, 02/09/2011 - 04:49.You can download a Software Defined Radio (SDR) tuner software from Sdr-Radio.com (I got the beta release 1.1) then go to their list of online tuners and tune a powerful radio for free!
If your browser tells you that you are doing something risky, ignore the warning (if you want this to work).
You can see a waterfall/spectrum view of the radio dial, tune it around, and listen to stations!
Radio: From crystals to transistors to digital signal processing to software defined radio and beyond
Submitted by akreider on Wed, 03/24/2010 - 23:32.I've recently been reading about software defined radio and am very tempted to buy either the Pegasus or Q1SR.
Here are some musings. Note: I'm not an electronics expert!
Crystal radio
The first generation of radio. You needed a crystal (or diode). Lacked any amplification and thus you needed a good antenna. Had terrible selectivity (rejection of adjacent stations).
Tubes
Software Defined Radio - open source radio project
Submitted by akreider on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 20:42.An open source radio project to create a software defined radio. Both the hardware (electrical design) and software are open source, and they have a community of people developing it:
http://www.philcovington.com/QuickSilver/
Software defined radios are amazing. You can record spectrum and do more. I'm wondering if I should buy one, or hold out as they keep getting better.
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