Howdy!

This page is the home of the freeware I wrote for the shortwave listener - a logging program and a controller program I wrote for the TenTex RX-320 shortwave receiver. There's also an artilce I wrote a long time ago that discusses choosing a portable shortwave receiver and presents the fundamentals of high-frequency shortwave propagation. If you're not a radio hobbyist, I have a little puzzle you can take with you so that your visit here was at least slightly worthwhile. <g>

To send me e-mail, click here. My email address is ab9b@qsl.net.

This site was last updated on February 26, 2005. (Removed the Scan320DB and My Reference Library programs.)

Scan320

Scan320 is a controller/scanner for the TenTec RX-320 shortwave receiver. You can read about it, and download a free copy on my Scan320 page. This software runs just fine whether or not you've connected your computer to the radio. You can try it out, even if you don't own an RX-320. (But take if from me: If you think you might enjoy listening to the shortwave bands, an RX-320 is a magnificent way to go, and for not a lot of bucks!)

Scan320 runs fine all by itself. But if you combine it with Scan320DB, below, you gain the additional benefit of tuning from the ILGRadio shortwave broadcast database.

Scan320DB

Scan320DB is a tuning front-end for the free ILGRadio shortwave broadcast database. As a stand-alone program, Scan320DB lets you browse, search, filter, and edit the database. The program includes some unique features that makes it very easy to use. Combined with Scan320 and a Ten-Tec shortwave receiver, though, the program also lets you tune your radio directly from the database program. You can read about it, and download a free copy from my Scan320DB page.

Version 1.1d, posted Feb. 14, 2004, works properly with the updated ILRadio database format that came on line in February, 2004, including the format released beginning in January, 2005.

B-Log

The last program in the family is B-Log, a stand-alone version of the logging utility I built into Scan320. This is a simple and easy-to-use log for shortave broadcast and utility listeners. Although simple, it has all the capabilities needed for basic day-to-day logging, plus several very handy export features. B-Log is fully compatible with Scan320's log. If you use both programs, they will place all of their log entries in the same log file. Read about B-Log, and download your own copy here.

Clifton Turner's Software: RX320 and DB320

Clifton Turner has written what many say is the best control program for the RX-320, RX320, and the original ILGRadio integrated database front end, DB320. No matter what controllers RX-320 users have installed, most still go back to the best of the breed. I know that these programs were the inspiration for my own Scan320 programs. I used Clifton's design as the model, and "borrowed" many, if not most, of his features. Highly recommended!

Interested? You can download your own copies here.

Puzzle

But what if you aren't a shortwave listener or some other sort of radio hobbyist? Well, I don't want your visit to my site to be a total waste of your time. Here's a little puzzle you can play with. It runs on any Windows 95 (or later) PC. Click here to download. Unzip the archive into any directory, click the .exe file, and away you go. (Do you remember the little plastic versions of this puzzle that were common when we were kids? No? Well, take it from me, sonny, these were common when I was a kid! <g>)

Choosing a Portable Shortwave Receiver,
    and the Fundamentals of High-Frequency Propagation

A long time ago, someone in rec.radio.shortwave asked for advice about choosing a portable shortwave receiver. He also wanted to know something about shortwave radio propagation. When I had some spare time, I wrote him a long email response. I think that the information stands the test of time - good advice about portable shortwave receiver selection (patting myself on the back!) and a simple, concise introduction to the difficult subject of propagation.

Interested? Click here to read the entire article.

Relevant Link:

You can actually tune a shortwave receiver, live, right from your computer, and hear what's happening in the world. Talk about "armchair copy!"