HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: wmartin@STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Subject: Re:  Passport 1993
Date: 8 Oct 1992 08:19:26 -0500
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

Since I was the one who posted the first 1993 Passport comments, it
behooves me to remark on this discussion. I, too, lost some of my
initial enthusiasm after spending some time reading the 93 Passport.
I had actually been surprised that I had as favorable an initial impression
as I did, since I buy Passport more out of a sense of duty than because I
really want it or use it much; I figure I can't call myself an SWL unless I
own the current Passport and WRTH...  :-)

Anyway, while I haven't done the detailed comparison and evaluation of
the receiver reviews that I see others have, I did notice some annoying
aspects in the discussion-of-programming section. There seems to be too
much of the authors' prejudices coming through to determine what will 
be mentioned and what will not.

A good example is the fact that you won't find one of the best, most
informative, and long-running DX programs recommended or described:
Glenn Hauser's "World of Radio".  (That evaluation is not just my
personal opinion -- it is supported by repeated comparisons, contests,
and "best of" listings by various radio clubs and magazines.) I believe
that this is due to a personal animosity against Hauser by Magne. This
is one of those inevitable internecine squabbles that seem to plague all
hobby-type efforts, whether it be SF fandom or stamp collecting... The
bad effect of letting this personal tiff intrude into the production of
a standard reference work in the field is that it degrades the quality
of that book.

Actually, since surveys consistently show the most popular programs
to be ones aimed at DXers and SWLers, I find it a failing of Passport
to generally ignore these programs. As I recall offhand, only Media
Network gets any mention at all... (Of course such surveys are conducted
among SWL types, so such programs have an edge in that the audience
is predisposed to listen to them. But who buys most copies of Passport
anyway?)

It's not that there isn't enough room. Not only is there available
white space which could have been filled with text, but the authors
waste space denigrating programs they dislike due to the politics
of the producers (see the comments on "National Vanguard Radio", which
actually should have been referred to as "American Dissident Voices"
since that is the real program title). It looks like they felt a need to
be identified as politically correct by including text against this 
program, when their actual stated emphasis was to recommend programming 
people would like, not identify stuff they would not, if I remember
rightly.  (They could have spent plenty of space on tedious and
uninteresting religious programs on many stations, but why bother?  Far
better to adhere to just recommending, and ignore what is not
recommended...)

Regards, Will
wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil OR wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
From: ralph@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (Ralph Brandi)
Subject: Re: SW Receivers with RS232 interface?
Organization: Democrats for Broccoli
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 13:46:45 GMT
Keywords: OS9/68000 SHORTWAVE RECEIVERS SERIAL RS232 COMMUNICATIONS

I tried e-mailing the following response, but it bounced.

In article <1992Oct8.095446.12102@bilver.uucp> barryb@bilver.uucp (Barry Bond) writes:
>Greetings!

>     I'm an avid scanner hobbyist, and I'm looking into getting started
>as a SW listener, too.  Basically, I'm looking for opinions from those
>already into SW listening and/or anyone who is doing the [unique?] same
>things I desire to do, described below!

>     I'm going to be considering only receivers which have RS232
>computer interfaces, and I won't care about software.  Here's why:

Every response I've seen has mentioned traditional radios like the
JRC NRD-535 or the Drake R-8.  One that nobody seems to have
mentioned is the new McKay Dymek DR333.  If you're as much of a
computer nut as you seem to imply, you owe it to yourself to check
this radio out.  It is completely controlled via an RS-232C port and
software; no dials, no LEDs, nothing like that.  The radio was
designed strictly as a computer peripheral.  It comes with two
programs for MS-DOS to control the radio, one strictly text based,
the other graphical in nature.  It also comes with source code in
Turbo C format to help you develop your own control programs.

You can get the radio for $1199 from Universal Shortwave in
Columbus, Ohio, phone number (800) 431-3939.  You can also order it
direct from the company, Stoner Communications, but it costs $1499
that way.  I don't have their address at the moment, but I can dig
it up if you're interested, or I'm sure Universal can supply it.
There is a yearly periodical for shortwave listeners called
Proceedings that carried a preview/review of a preproduction unit in
its 1991 issue; if you're interested, I'll send their address as
well.  Additionally, Audio magazine carried a review in their
September 1992 issue, which should be easily available at any
library.  They're not exactly a hotbed of shortwave information, but
it might be worth a read.  Also, the current edition of The Journal
of the North American Shortwave Association has a review of the
radio.  You can get some of these addresses in the monthly FAQ
posting for the newsgroup.

I don't have one, but I've been following it with some interest
since I heard about it.  I would be interested in hearing your
impressions if you eventually decided to take the plunge.  Hope this
helps!

Ralph Brandi
-- 
Ralph Brandi     ralph@mtunp.att.com     att!mtunp!ralph

"I may have had the needle in my arm dozens of times, but I never
pushed the plunger"    -- Presidential Candidate Dave Barry
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
From: kell@lark.jsc.nasa.gov (TED KELL)
Subject: Re: Question regarding 2010 antenna connections, reception & FETs.
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4   
Reply-To: kell@lark.jsc.nasa.gov
Organization: NASA Johnson Space Flight Center - Clear Lake City, TX, USA
Date: 13 OCT 92 08:19:44    

In article <29035@life.ai.mit.edu>, mhcoen@double-chex.ai.mit.edu (Michael H. Coen) writes...
> 
>Before I bought my 2010 (several months ago), I spoke with the head of
>the technical department at EEB.  He told me that this problem
>(unprotected front-end FETs) occurred only in the early 2010 models and
>has since been fixed by Sony.  However, he said that the rumor of such
>problems has refused to die.  (Of course, you should always unplug
>external antennas during storms.)
>

Did he give a serial number at which that started or some other way of
recognizing which model one has?

> 
>- Michael


Ted Kell
From: nguyen@aladdin.eng.hou.compaq.com (Nghia Nguyen)
Subject: Is ICOM-R100 Good?
Organization: Compaq Computer Corp.
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 18:42:05 GMT



Greetings,

I was going to purchase an AR-2500. However after reading
the comments on this net about the product, I am now
considering an ICOM R100 as an alternative for a bit
more money.

Can someone give me some general advices about the R100?
 
and

Does it have the SSB/BFO mode? What is the actual 
freq. coverage .vs. claimed?

Is the range continuous? How much memory does it have?

Thank you for the info.

nvn
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
From: ken@swbatl.sbc.com (Ken Gianino 5-9081)
Subject: Unusual Frequencies During Presidential Debates?
Organization: Southwestern Bell
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 92 19:46:07 GMT


 Since the first presidential debates will be here in St. Louis this
 weekend, I thought there might be some Secret Service or otherwise
 unusual activity.  Anyone have a quick list of possible frequencies?
 Please E-mail (you can post also) because I may not be back to the
 office untill Friday and things get purged fast here.
 Ken   ken@swbatl.sbc.com
From: jerry@hnrc.tufts.edu (Jerry Dallal)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Subject: BBC Worldwide
Date: 16 Oct 92 01:55:34 GMT
Organization: USDA HNRC at Tufts University


            I've  just  received  my first copy of BBC  Worldwide  and 
        spent about a half-hour with it.   I should preface my remarks 
        by saying I'm a bit of a Luddite and hate change of any kind. 

            It calls to mind one of those six panel cartoons (two rows 
        of three) that are hand drawn and widely circulated by abusing 
        office copy machine privileges:  Each cartoon shows playground 
        equipment--as it came off the designer's table, after modified 
        by sales and manufacturing, and so on, each one very high tech 
        and  very fancy.  The  last panel shows a tire tied to a  tree 
        branch by a  piece of rope; it is captioned,  "What the client 
        wanted." 

            BBC Worldwide is slick and fat with lots of articles.  But 
        I  just want to know what's on the air!   I  don't need a  100 
        page glossy magazine,  at $40/year with articles like "Top ten 
        places to make love"  (I'm not making this up.   See page 97.) 
        to  tell me.   What to do?   Continue subscribing in the hopes 
        that  things will change?   Or let my subscription lapse to be 
        sure they get the message? 

        [This is a repost.   I was too hasty.   The  London Calling in 
        center of Worldwide  *is*  as  easy  to  use  as  the previous 
        version.  Okay, it's better.  But the  BBC  could have done it 
        within the old format without adding all the fluff.]
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
X-Mailer: InterCon TCP/Connect II 1.1b4
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Date:         Tue, 13 Oct 1992 10:43:11 -0500
Reply-To:     "Bob Stratton" <strat@INTERCON.COM>
From:         "Bob Stratton" <strat@INTERCON.COM>
Subject:      Re: Idiots in Congress

> >Since some cellular telephones have a keypad sequence that unlocks them
> >to function as cellular receivers, this must mean that any
>
> I would sure like to hear more about this!!

Take a look at the Novatel phones - not only are they quite inexpensive, some
of them will enter test mode fairly easily, and allow reception by channel
number of any cellular channel desired.

Bob Stratton
strat@intercon.com
+1 703 709 5525
<standard disclaimers apply>
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
From: barryb@bilver.uucp (Barry Bond)
Subject: Re: SW Receivers with RS232 interface?
Organization: W. J. Vermillion - Winter Park, FL
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 11:02:21 GMT
Summary: Not first suggestion for the 535
Keywords: OS9/68000 SHORTWAVE RECEIVERS SERIAL RS232 COMMUNICATIONS

Richard:

     Thank you very much for replying!  That's not the first good word
I've received regarding the 535.  You can be certain I'll be contacting
JRC for more information!

     Thanks!

     Barry
-- 
Barry L. Bond   (Computer Systems Designer, Martin Marietta)
UUCP/     uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!bilver!barryb     |  1700 Woodbury Road, Apt #204
Internet: uunet!uiucdcs!uiucuxc!bilver!barryb|  Orlando, Florida  32828-6013
CIS:      72235,1530                         |  Work:  (407)  826-7648
From: aksurf@caltech.edu (Axel)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Subject: Sangean ATS-803A
Followup-To: rec.radio.shortwave
Date: 12 Oct 1992 02:53:52 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: 131.215.9.51

Hello Everyone,

I took the plonge the other day and bought a Sangean Model ATS-803A. My
main interest is to download WEFAX. Well, I'll tell you, it's a piece of
crap when it comes to reception, and it's going back to the store. My old
grundig Satellit 6000 does one hell of a better job with just the
telescopic antenna. As far as receiving WEFAX transmissions, forget it
given that the Sangean can barely pick up Voice of America. I was quite
dissapointed. 

The only reason I bought a new receiver is because my Grundig didn't have a
BFO adaptor for SSB. OK, my old grundig is going back to the shop to get a
BFO installed. If anyone out there knows where to get a BFO adaptor for the
old Grundig 6000, please let me know, I would really appreciate it.

I am on the market for a good all band receiver/tranceiver, so if you're in
the southern California area and are selling, please let me know.

                             Axel

                 
E-mail aksurf.caltech.edu
   
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
From: gerry@bluemoon.rn.com (Gerard M. Foley)
Subject: Re: Is ICOM-R100 Good?
Organization: Blue Moon BBS ((614) 868-998[024])
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 23:28:05 EDT

nguyen@aladdin.eng.hou.compaq.com (Nghia Nguyen) writes:

> 
> 
> Greetings,
> 
> I was going to purchase an AR-2500. However after reading
> the comments on this net about the product, I am now
> considering an ICOM R100 as an alternative for a bit
> more money.
> 
> Can someone give me some general advices about the R100?
>  
> and
> 
> Does it have the SSB/BFO mode? What is the actual 
> freq. coverage .vs. claimed?
> 
> Is the range continuous? How much memory does it have?
> 
> Thank you for the info.
> 
> nvn

I do not know anything incorrect in the comments of Jamie
Hanrahan to this inquiry.  I have an R100.  The actual
frequency coverage is 0.1-1800MHz.  It has AM, NFM and
Wide FM.  It has lots of frequency steps from 1 to 25kHz
for much of its range, but up at the top it is 12.5,20 or 25
kHz.  It has three separate antenna inputs for 0.1-50,
50-905 and 905-1800mHz.  I have not been able to get
very good SW reception in a car, but I have not experimented
a lot with antennas.  I find it very useful, but it has
severe limitations as a scanner.  It scans frequency bands
pretty well, but the memory scanning is by mode, not banks.
It is great with a satellite dish for SCPC, if you know
what that is!

gerry@bluemoon.rn  My amateur radio callsign is K8EF, and my
packet radio address is K8EF@W8CQK.OH.USA.NA
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Date:         Wed, 14 Oct 1992 22:13:37 EDT
Reply-To:     GL8574@ACSPR1.ACS.BROCKPORT.EDU
From:         GL8574@ACSPR1.ACS.BROCKPORT.EDU
Subject:      WWCR

Someone out there requested an address for WWCR, and as it so happens, I am
listening to them at this very moment, and they just announced the following
address for special events announcements, though the address probably still
holds:

    WWCR
    1300 WWCR Ave.
    Nashville, TN   37218
    USA

Hope this helps.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glenn C. Lasher, Jr.
The opinions and views expressed herein are strictly those of the
participants and not necessarily those of anyone else who may, for
whatever purpose, attempt to claim them.  Some restrictions apply.
Some states do not allow these restrictions, so these restrictions
may not apply to you.  Wisconsin residents need not include return
postage.  Void where prohibited or taxed.  New York State residents
must add 8% sales tax.  Offer not valid in Brockport, NY.  Rules are
subject to change without notice.  For official rules, send a SASE
to:  Official rules, P.O.Box 128, Maildrop, NY   00000-0000
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: jeh@cmkrnl.com
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Subject: Re: Is ICOM-R100 Good?
Date: 13 Oct 92 18:26:03 GMT
Organization: Kernel Mode Consulting, San Diego, CA

In article <1992Oct12.184205.14712@twisto.eng.hou.compaq.com>,
 nguyen@aladdin.eng.hou.compaq.com (Nghia Nguyen) writes:
> Can someone give me some general advice about the [Icom] R100?
> Does it have the SSB/BFO mode? What is the actual 
> freq. coverage .vs. claimed?
> Is the range continuous? How much memory does it have?

I too was interested in this model for mobile-mount use and spent some time
perusing the manual.  

The freq range is continuous.  I don't remember the limits but according to a
sales type at Ham Radio Outlet it uses essentially the same receiver circuits
as the R1, which Icom's ads claim "many users" report is usable to 1.3 GHz,
though it was designed to work "only" to 9?? MHz or so. 

It does not have SSB/BFO.  

It only has 100 memories, which I find awfully limiting (since it takes nearly
all of a pro-2006's 400 channels to hold city and county law enforcement freqs
for LA + Orange + San Diego counties alone!). 

Worse, the memories are not arranged in "banks"; the only way to scan a subset
of the 100 memorized freqs is to individually lock out the undesired ones.
(unless I missed something in the manual -- maybe you can set limits, ie only
scan channels 20 through 50, or some such).  At least with the AOR scanners you
can select ranges of banks to scan.  

It has search-and-store, and can store up to twenty freqs found that way, in
channels 81-100 (so if you use search-and-store you really only have 80
channels). 

The user interface is an absolute nightmare (at least compared to the Radio 
Shack Pro-200n units).  

All of the above comments apply equally to the subminiature Icom R-1.  

The guy at HRO said to think of it (and the R-1) more as a "shortwave receiver
that is also usable on VHF rather than as a scanner".  In other words, if your
main interest is scanning public-service comms, and especially if you live in
an area where lots of channels are in use, you'd be better off with a "real"
scanner.  If your main interest is HF, but you want to listen to a few VHF/UHF
comms now and then, these units might work for you.  

Another unit in the same field (mobile-mountable, MW through 9?? MHz, probably
more suited to HF SWL than to VHF/UHF scanning) is Kenwood's RZ-1.  It is about
the same size as the R100.  It will neatly fit in a 2x7" (DIN-sized) car stereo
opening.  It has SSB and CW modes.  Sensitivity figures look pretty poor next
to, say, the Pro-2006 -- or maybe Kenwood's spec sheets are more cautious than
Rat Shack's (naw, couldn't be! :-).  It only has 100 channels but they are
arranged in 10 banks of 10.  I don't think it has search-and-store.  

I haven't reviewed the manual on this one.  Henry Radio in Los Angeles sells it
for around $450.  If it had more channels, say 400 or so, I'd be more
interested... 

	--- Jamie Hanrahan, Kernel Mode Consulting, San Diego CA
Internet:  jeh@cmkrnl.com, hanrahan@eisner.decus.org, or jeh@crash.cts.com
Uucp:  ...{crash,eisner,uunet}!cmkrnl!jeh
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
From: crisp@netcom.com (Richard Crisp)
Subject: Radio Malaysia heard
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 13:37:06 GMT

Today (Thursday) I managed to make progress in identifying the station
I mentioned in my last posting. I am over 90% sure it is from Malaysia.

Here is what I have:

	time		freq		comments
	1330		4895		Green Network (Iban Lang)
	1330		5005.18		Green Network (Iban Lang)
	1330		7270		Green Network (Iban Lang)
	(I verified that all three frequencies have the same broadcast)

	1330		4950		Red Network (English and Chinese)
	1330		7160		Red Network (English and Chinese)
	(I verified that both of these had the same program on them)

	The information quoted above came from the 1992 WRTH.
	I simply tuned each of the frequencies listed above and
	confirmed that the top three were sending the same broadcast
	and that the second pair also had the same broadcast (different
	from the tomp three of course).

The thing I find most interesting about this is that the transmitters
are listed in the WRTH as being 10KW. The Silicon Valley area of California
is a long way from Sarawak!
-- 
Richard Crisp       Cupertino, Ca.          crisp@netcom.com
(415) 903-3832 wk  "Get rid of the bums!"   (408) 253 4541 fax
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
From: bigsteve@dorsai.com (bigsteve)
Subject: Re: `Echos' on SW stations
Organization: The Dorsai Embassy, New York's Computer Consulate. +1.718.729.5018
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 14:50:22 GMT

tfb@aisb.ed.ac.uk (Tim Bradshaw) writes:

> This may be a naive question -- I don't know anything about the
> propagation of SW other than general physics.
> 
> Sometimes, on some frequencies, it sounds as if a station is coming
> through some kind of echo/delay-line.  I notice this in particular on
> the BBC World Service (but that's what I mostly listen to), & it's
> frequency-specific -- for instance this morning there was no echo in
> the 49m transmissions but there was in some other (19m?, I forget).  I
> guess the total delay to be about .1 sec but it might be less --
> usually the frequencies with this effect are rather faint anyway.
> 
> I'm curious as to why this happens -- obviously the signal is getting
> to me by more than one path.  I could think of two reasons: the
> wonderful one is that .1sec is about the time for a signal to go round
> the Earth, so I'm hearing it the second time around too.  The one I
> think more probable is that the signal is being bounced repeatedly
> between some layer in the atmosphere & ground which gives the effect
> of a multi-tapped delay-line.  The first must be too good to be true I
> think, so I reckon the second.  Does anyone know?
> 
There is also a phenomonon called the Aurural Curtain.  During intense 
solar disturbances the Aurora Borialis expands to low latatudes.  This 
ionic field serves as a wall that back scatters signals.  This return can 
also create an echo to anyone listening at a point ahead of it.
Usually this type of bounce back causes severe phase cancelling and the 
signal you receive is pretty eratic.
 
You memtioned in particular about the echo happening on the BBC.  The BBC 
uses multiple transmitters in different parts of the world on the same 
frequency.  The echo gets inhanced because some transmitters still 
receive their feed from phone lines, some from one hop on a satellite and 
some from a 2nd hop on another satellite.  Normally, the signals from the 
two transmitters should not interfere with each other, but when 
propagation is real good, you'll hear the echo without the received 
signal fading.

*Steve Coletti A/K/A "BIG STEVE COLE"   Studio Line: (212) 995-2637*
*   Host of CROSSBAND, The news and information program for the    *
*            Radio, Communications and Computer Hobbist.           *
*Fridays via Satellite on Let's Talk Radio - S3/T21@6.2Mhz 7-9PM ET*
*Sundays on Shortwave & Satellite from Radio Newyork International,*
*via WWCR/7435Khz and BSN - S2/T7@7.5Mhz at 9PM ET/0100 UTC-Monday.*
*Co-Moderator: Fido FREE RADIO Echo, (the last time I looked I was)*
*GEnie: S.COLETTI2    PRODIGY: BJJM02A   FIDO: Big Steve 1:278/712 *
*Internet: bigsteve@dorsai.com   USnail: P.O. Box 396, NY, NY 10002*
Xref: sparky rec.radio.shortwave:7380 alt.radio.scanner:2089
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave,alt.radio.scanner
Subject: Re: Idiots in Congress
Date: 9 Oct 92 18:38:11 GMT
Article-I.D.: hpcvaac.1992Oct9.183811.2188
Distribution: usa
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA

rats@cbnewsc.cb.att.com (RS PRO-2006) writes:
: ----
: [*] -- I saw a couple of months ago in some sort of legal magazine a
: court decision that boggled my mind. It was about the manufacture of
: a heater in a building who was being sued because at the place
: where the particular unit was being used, someone was using flammable
: solvents to process some product. The heater ignited the fumes. The
: lawsuit contended that the heater company should have given warning
: about this danger. The heater company contended that it was an
: obvious danger. The heater company won the first time in court. On
: appeal, they lost. The appellate court stated that an improper
: discovery process was used, that indeed, IT WASN'T COMMON KNOWLEDGE
: THAT A GAS POWERED HEATER USED OXYGEN FROM THE SURROUNDING AIR TO
: SUSTAIN COMBUSTION.

It isn't. Well, maybe to the courts. But then, they are lawyers, not
humans.

Bill
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave