XHDATA D-219 AM/FM/SW – A Decent Radio for $13

The folks over at The SWLing Post blog keep raving about these things, so I had to try one.  At only $13 (for the green one; other colors are $4 more, go figure) it's not much of a risk.  My verdict?  A bargain at twice the price.  So much else has been written in three articles over at The SWLing Post that I'll give a short list of pros & cons, then refer you to the links below for more details.

pros:

• It's built around a Silicon Labs SDR chip, and those always work well.
• And yeah, it works great!  Nighttime WSM 650 AM sounded as clear as on my PL-660 (10x$).  Same for daytime reception of WWL 870.
• Basic shortwave stations came in easily: WWV time signals, WWCR, Radio Havana, etc.
• Broadcast FM reception was fine, but it takes a lot of effort to mess that up.
• Runs on dirt-common AA batteries.
• Cheap enough to hand out after a hurricane, and if it goes missing you're only out $13.

con (just one):

• Tuning on the broadcast AM dial was too fast – downright twitchy – making it difficult to pick out a known station/frequency.  If the tuning dial moved frequencies about a quarter as fast, that would be about right.  Trying to find WSM 650 in a crowded AM spectrum was a trial, despite knowing it was there and spotting it on my PL-660.  Once found and locked on though, all was good.

OK, here are the links to other reviews.  If you want to buy, use the affiliate link at the first one.  That way The SWLing Post gets a little bit:

• Rediscovering Simple Radio Joy with the XHDATA D-219 (buying link towards the bottom)
• The XHDATA D-219 Shirt-Pocket Radio
• XHDATA D-219: A Classic Budget Shortwave Receiver

If you've been thinking "gosh, I'd like a good radio, just to play around with or for hurricane season, but I don't want to spend too much" go ahead and get one of these.  In real world practical use you'll probably get the most out of the AM & FM bands, but it's also a credible shortwave receiver and that's always entertaining.

Grand Ole Opry Marks 100 Next Friday

As a reminder (mostly to self), the Grand Ole Opry will have its 100th anniversary show on November 28th – that's next Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.  Don't forget to tune in.  I have no idea who's on the schedule, but I'm guessing that it'll be all over the WSM web site by this time next week.

Remember, just as with classical music being performed on period instruments (see Academy of Ancient Music), it's far better to listen to the Grand Ole Opry on AM radio.  Fortunately this is fairly simple across most of the eastern half of the United States during dark evening hours: tune to 650 AM just before 8pm EST and you ought to have a listenable signal.  You may have to physically turn a portable radio to point it toward Nashville; their internal antennas are somewhat directional.  Of course, being out of a city center (this is country music after all) and having a good radio will help considerably, but on the whole it's a pretty easy exercise.  If the ionosphere doesn't cooperate (or worse, you're stuck in a city), streaming from the above-linked web site is a lesser but tolerable substitute.

Anyway, don't let this one slide.  Tune in for a little piece of history as it happens.

From Nashville to Apalach

I see that Mark Wills will be on the Grand Ol Opry both tonight (Friday) and tomorrow.  You can listen on WSM 650 AM or figure it out for online.  I'm sure it'll be for just a couple of songs.  Then, he'll be the headliner at the Seafood Festival on Saturday Nov. 1st.  See y'all there.

Across Franklin County via 80m

I knew it would work – it's only about 26 miles and just over the horizon – but until you actually get it to work, it's best to assume that it doesn't work.  A friend in the Carrabelle area just put up a low 80m dipole (i.e., NVIS sky-warmer), and I've got that 21' zepp stretched horizontally over a rooftop at my place downtown that sort of tunes 80m – the new grounding system has helped a lot – so we had to test this potential link.  Works great, 25 watts was enough to make the hop, and 50 watts cleaned the signal up considerably, so check that box, 80m (i.e., near 3.9 MHz) works well enough for cross-county comms off my tiny zepp.  Good to know, good to have tested and made work.  Will test further this week with the North FL Phone net.

Inset: propagation wheel showing the best bands for this hop.  Surprisingly, 30m looks good here too, but that's digital-only (counting CW as digital), and we were using voice.  As usual for NVIS work, the real answer is 80m by night and 40m by day.  Be sure to click to embiggen the image, because squinting that hard would be ridiculous.

Green line is the short path (26 miles), red line is the long path (24,000 miles).

That accomplished, I dialed over to WSM to listen to the Grand Ole Opry and ran smack into Old Crow Medicine Show's short set.  Not having checked the schedule, that was a treat.  Later, dishes done and while reading the manual for the FT-710, I flipped on WSM again to maybe pick up the Opry's second show, and there they were again.  Second helping!

Quick Mention: New FT-710

I was having some trouble with the FT-1200's digital port and frankly just hated using the FT-891, so I traded them both in on a new Yaesu FT-710.  I'll post some more on that second one later (it's going to be pretty negative), but on to the new radio and the good news.  The FT-710 came in on Saturday, and now that I've made a few SSB contacts and gotten the digital inputs sorted out, I'll say that (a) the digital signal I/O port stuff easy enough to set up, (b) the noise reduction is amazing and extremely useful, (c) in a handful of contacts I've gotten good signal reports, and (d) I'm keeping it.  Lots to love about this radio, but also lots to get used to.  Control-wise, it's half-way between a tiny backpacker like the FT-857d and a full-size desk monster like the FT-1200.  For the moment though I'll just post some pictures and get on with the day.

Much handier size for my purposes, with everything I need plus a number of things that I don't.

However to be of any use it all it has to play country music.  Does it?  Damn straight.

Picks up WSM just fine.  Eddie Stubbs would approve.  Look at that beautiful double-sideband AM signal on the waterfall.

Much, much more to sort out on this radio, but the basics are all in place.  Two big questions are how much will I take it to the field, and is it enough to justify the expense and clutter of a roll cage for it?  Only time will tell.  Onward to other things for the moment.

Old Crow at the Opry Tonight

8pm EDT, 650 kHz AM.  Details and listen-via-web (works, but not cool like skywave) at WSM's web site.

ps: During their set, they played Margaritaville in honor of the late, great J.B. and then followed up by closing with Wagon Wheel.  Playing stuff that delights the audience, that's what it's all about.

WWL Turns 100 Today

WWL 870  – the 50,000 watt New Orleans AM station – turns 100 today.  Worth noting, and worth listening in because they're doing some additional programming to commemorate the event.

Here's their main web site, and their Wikipedia page.  It's an interesting station with an interesting history.  A lot of these old-line AM behemoths are turning 100 about now: KDKA (Pittsburgh) a year and a half ago, WSB (Atlanta) a couple of weeks ago, and WSM (Nashville) in a couple of years, just to name a few.  I expect they'll be around at least as long into the future.  It turns out that – despite dire predictions a few decades back – AM on the medium wave band is just too handy to go away.

Ken Burn's Country Music Documentary Series

 Yes, you need to watch this, even if you're not a country music fan.  4.5 stars out of 5

Lots of the pre-history, the hows and whys, lots of the early development up from fiddle and banjo music, the radio "barn dance" craze and how WSM's ongoing Grand Ole Opry is the last and greatest of those shows, "Countrypolitian" music, Outlaw Country, etc., the entire 16 hour series (8 2 hour episodes) is well worth your time.  It's through, and I won't try to catalog it all here.

Now for the downsides, which are minor but worth noting.  The country-related genre of Americana music received only one brief mention, where it should have gotten at least 15 minutes' out of the 16 hours.  There may have been too much focus and interview time with too limited a handful of musicians and insiders, but hey, with documentaries sometimes you just roll with the folks who'll take the time and tell the story.  My biggest kick though is that it ends in 1996, and needs another episode to bring us up to the present.  In this nearly quarter-century, country music has taken all kinds of new directions, as has the rest of the music industry, with successful self-produced on-line publishing and a thriving live music scene.  I realize that some people are stuck in the 90s, but this is the 20s folks!

I need to go back through the series with a pen and pad, just to write down music to fetch in the near future.

OK, apart from "needs a ninth disc" it's everything it needs to be.  Recommended!

ps: Watch the extras, especially on the last episode.  The segment on "what one song do you think epitomizes country music?" was priceless.  Surprisingly, there was a pretty fair consensus among the musicians and insiders: George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," closely followed by one of several of Hank Williams' high-and-lonesome tunes.

Eddie Stubbs Announces Retirement

Long-time evening host on WSM 650-AM, Eddie Stubbs is calling it a day.  His last show will be next Wednesday, July 29th.  Details here at the WSMonline.com  He's also retiring as the host of the Grand Ole Opry as well.

Stubbs' deep knowledge of the history of country music made every show a guided tour through the genre.  Many times he would finish a song and note a particularly impressive section, then say "wait a minute, let's listen to that part again," move the needle back up on the vinyl (vinyl! on AM!) and we'd all savor it once more.  More than a DJ, he's a teacher.  Additionally, listening via skywave to that 50,000 watt AM transmitter added a layer of patina and authenticity that an online connection just can't touch.  

Grab a few more listens while you still can.  Again, last show is next Wednesday.

Daytime & Nighttime AM Radio Well Explained in 5 Minutes

Useful, basic info.  Give it a watch.

Potentially listenable big-watt nighttime stations around the southeast are WWL 870 New Orleans, WSB 750 Atlanta, WHAS 840 Louisville, and WSM 650 Nashville.  There are others out there, but those are the main ones that come in easily on the northern Gulf Coast.  If you're looking for something closer to your place, say within 600 miles or so, Wikipedia has a list of stations around North America.  It's useful to be able to set your radio on a frequency and then turn the whole thing around to perhaps sweep its antenna in the station's general direction.

Dial around for yourself one night and see what's available in your region.  What, don't have an AM radio?  Got a car?  Radios in those usually have surprisingly good reception.

Anyway, it's a neat little video.  It's funny that this was considered general knowledge for people just a few years older than I am, but is almost completely unknown to those of us who grew up in the late 70's and onward.

Music Review: OCMS Live at the Ryman

Hm, mentioned this album back in October, ordered it immediately, and have played it at least once a week ever since.  It's pure Old Crow Medicine Show playing at the mother church of country music, so you know it's got to be good.  All of the songs are old familiars, but more than that, it's a gathering of friends.  The very first voice you hear is music historian and long-time WSM DJ Eddie Stubbs introducing the band, along with guest singer Margo Price chiming in, followed by the band, with a hearty welcome.

The songs, once again, are old favorites, but they have a new upbeat twist on them.  Even the songs of grief, like "Take 'em Away" and "Methamphetamine," have a an upbeat shine.  It's more that they're helping people celebrate beating hard times than playing the blues over them.  From anyone else this would be, well, not quite right.  From OCMS at the Ryman, it's time to celebrate.  If they do this with the downbeat numbers, the upbeat ones are even more jump-up-and-sing numbers.  And of course "Wagon Wheel" is the next-to-last, done as a sing-along.  The only problem, if it can be called that, is that the music ends too soon.  A follow-up Volume II would be most welcome, i.e., shut up and take my money already.

However... if you haven't heard OCMS before, it may be all too much.  It may be better start out with their studio albums, or even "Best of."  This is high-test music played with high energy between friends, and a more gentle introduction may be needed.  That's frequently the case with live albums, and this is one of the more amped-up examples.  Exercise good judgement and due caution.

Here, watch the promo trailer, you'll see what this is about: over a hundred years of traditions rolled up with modern energy into one slick package.

New Music: OCMS Live at the Ryman

That was a treat last night, when Old Crow Medicine Show popped by the Saturday night Opry to play a couple of songs and announce the release of their new album, Live at the Ryman.  My copy's already ordered, should have it by the end of the week.  That's the way the cool kids hear about new music these days: live, on AM radio, via skywave.  That AN-200 loop antenna really helps, it's a pretty good way from Nashville to the Gulf.

BTW, before you reach for that Amazon link, consider looking over at the Ernest Tubb Record Shop to get your copy.  They support WSM 650, the Opry, and the general roots country music scene.  Way better to do business with them.

OCMS, WSM, WPAQ, W4ZNG, and Related

While waiting for Old Crow Medicine Show's set on the Grand Ole Opry last Friday, I was listening to the other performers' sets via internet streaming while working various PSK-31 contacts on 30, 40, and 80 meters.  (Think of it as texting friends while listening to music on the radio, just in a roundabout way.)  I mentioned to one ham up in MN what I was listening to, and he suggested back that if I like string band music to try WPAQ, The Voice of the Blue Ridge.  Of course I'm out of range of their medium wave signal, but they stream just fine over the net.  Like WSM, it's an interesting station with lots of history behind it. You can read about it both at the station's "about us" page as well as over at Wikipedia.  The one sentence that sums it all up though is from that first link:

If people are doing the same thing in 25 places up and down the radio dial, why should I be number 26?

Oh man, if only other stations would take up that same brave stance.  Anyway, from a sampling over these past three days, the music on WPAQ seems to be the genuine article.

Back to the Friday Night Opry and Old Crow et al, they came on at the click of the hour and played Shout Mountain Music from their new album Volunteer, then introduced Dom Flemons who played several songs (very good stuff, will have to pick up an album or two of his to try), then OCMS came back for one of their slower tunes and brought the house down with (of course) Wagon Wheel.  Then they came back for the second show a couple of hours later, which was much the same (including Dom Flemons), but this time (1) Flemons broke out his quills to play, including accompanying OCMS on Wagon Wheel, and (2) Ketch Secor's voice blew out half way through the the evening.  He motored on anyway like the music pro that he is.  I mean, it was a packed house and OCMS wasn't going to send anybody home disappointed, and he had plenty of friends up on stage with him to help out.  Two good sets in all, with plenty of other interesting music rounding out the evening.

OCMS Plays the Grand Ole Opry this Friday Evening

Following up on last week's show by Old Crow Medicine Show at Jazz Fest, I just noticed over at their tour schedule, here, that they'll be playing at the Opry on Friday.  If you can't make it (like me), it ought to be both broadcast and streamed by WSM at 7pm.

The sun will still be up through most of this, so no skywave reception down here on the Gulf until maybe the last half-hour.  Ah well, there's still the internet stream.  But for the lucky folks up in say north Alabama, groundwave should give good reception.  650 AM at 7pm CDT.  Yes, they have an app for your phone too.

Don't stream if you can really listen via radio.  Just not the same.

Yaupon Tea, the Verdict

Following up on last week's post about yaupon tea, I can say that it's pretty good!  It doesn't have all the floral notes of most conventional teas, it has more of a southern backwoodsy smell and flavor.  If you think of it as "regular tea is to BBC as yaupon tea is to WSM" you'll have a fair idea of how this goes.  Beyond those descriptions, you'll just have to try it.

About the source of this and which roast to try, Lost Pines showed up in searches first.  It's also available on Amazon, if that's easier for you.  Perhaps some of the descriptions at those sites will further fill you in.  Lost Pines' lighter roast is probably the one to try if you must pick one, but the dark roast is interesting as well.  The light roast has more woodsy flavor, while the dark is closer to a conventional tea.

Now, will I buy more of it?  Probably not.  I'll just step out my backdoor to pick my own to roast.  More to the point, will I be drinking more of it?  Definitely.

Further reading: yaupon holly, black drink at Wikipedia 

Route 650: Americana Music Stream

Our old friend WSM 650 AM Nashville now has a second music stream, Route 650, and it is very good.  Less... today's country, more of what country music was prior to 1960 and where that has branched off into newer music that's generically called "Americana" these days.  Think string bands, backwoods barroom rockers, heartfelt acoustic music – on the edge of country music, but not stereotypically country music.  Here, read WSM's description, it's better than I can manage.  And give it a try.

Now if they'd also broadcast on shortwave, it'd be just about perfect.  Imagine listening to this music around a campfire in the middle of nowhere.  That would be something.

Merle Haggard, 79, RIP

Complete article at Rolling Stone, ongoing coverage at WSM Online.

Appropriately, it is a cold and rainy night in Nashville.

WSM, Happy 90th Birthday!

It is amazing, but broadcast radio is rapidly sneaking up on its 100th year here in the U.S. Today is WSM's 90th, a milestone worth noting.

Here is a link to their main web site, here is a link to their 90th birthday page, and here is a link to their Wikipedia page.  WSM is not just another crusty old AM station limping toward obsolescence on a tired sports talk format.  They've stayed true to their music roots, and this station is the main reason "Nashville" and "Country Music" are so closely associated.  They also seem to be doing very well as a business by presenting well-curated music shows of widespread interest, making the most of their nighttime skywave AM clear-channel capabilities, and by moving onto the internet as well.  Here's to a smooth transition to digital broadcasting in the next decade.

Enough blogging for tonight.  I'm going back to the living room to listen.

New (Old) Music Find

Look, I'm not pitching punk rock and hellbilly music to go over to the big band sound, but I know a good thing when I hear it.  There's a recently re-formatted radio station down in Sarasota that's pretty much all big band and swing all the time, and it's pretty good.  Introducing:

Here, listen to their liner song while you read on.
It's easy to receive this station up in Apalachicola, and eastward to Panacea, but it starts getting a little dicey by the time you get over to Gulf County.  Well hell, they've only got 300 Watts output.  I can just about transmit that much from my own back yard.  Still, thanks to the miracle of over-salt-water groundwave propagation, that tiny signal reaches Franklin and Wakulla Counties just fine:

Sarasota Calling!  In a tiny, tiny, 300 Watt voice.

If you're outside their walkie-talkie range, you can always stream them live through their basic but functional web site: http://www.wtmyradio.com/# 

I know, I know, AM radio sounds like crap.  But as with WSM's proto- and classic country music, big band sounds best on its original medium.  It's reminiscent of the Academy of Ancient Music's quest to play baroque and classical on period-correct instruments.  It comes out better, somehow, despite the limitations.

Anyway, when you get over to the eastern Panhandle, give WTMY 1280 AM a try.  It is a treat, and a welcome occasional break from this.

Billie Joe Armstrong on WSM 650 AM?

*cough*sputter* The country music station, with Eddie Stubbs himself spinning the records?  No, can't be.

Yeah, actually just heard him and Norah Jones doing a duet of "Long Time Gone."  Not half bad either.  They've put out an entire album of this stuff.

Yes, that Billie Joe Armstrong.  No, I'm having a hard time believing it too.  I feel like I've fallen into some kind of alternate universe with this one.