The Real Big D: Depression

Over a year ago, an airline pilot, accused of crashing an airliner into the side of a mountain in the Alps, may have had “problems with depression”.

My first thought after hearing that news story was "why would a young guy, with a great job and his entire life ahead of him, want to kill himself -- and a hundred other people also?" It doesn't make sense. But then -- it doesn't make much sense no matter what the circumstances. Such is depression.

Depression is like the hidden plague that no one really wants to talk about, and it only makes the news when somebody who is dealing with depression goes over the edge, and something drastic happens.

IT'S THE REAL 'BIG D'

Depression, for anyone who has experienced it, is the real big D. It’s true that it sometimes gets a bit of publicity in the press -- with newspaper articles explaining how large a percentage of the population has it, or how many people deal with it.

But usually it’s shoved away in the corner of society’s back closet -- the closet with the junk you don’t want anyone to see. And if it lasts a while, the big D can give one that sense that nothing in life is happening, and life itself slowly begins to look more and more pointless. All is apathy.

It’s all around us – there are probably people in every social circle that are dealing with the big D, and no one (especially if they are men) wants to talk about it because it’s perceived as a sign of weakness.

So many people deal with it I sometimes wonder if it is a "Western" disease or has become an American disease.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND HERBAL MEDICATIONS 

And even though the big D sometimes is described as a national health problem, no one seems to have an answer for it, aside from prescription drugs. And although anti-depression meds often work well, they can also be a mixed bag.

I know one person who was dealing with depression a couple years ago, and she was given a prescription medication for it. She said that it helped the depression, but she also told me that the medication also erased – or reduced -- a lot of other feelings, too. 

You could see a car wreck on the freeway, for example, and instead of feeling a sense of shock or some sort of empathy, it just sort of went in one eye and out the other. She liked the fact that the depression was reduced, but wasn’t so sure about the erased emotions.

I know another woman who was depressed and she tried St. John’s Wort, an over the counter herb that has some weak anti-depressive effects. She told me the herb really helped her.

[A caveat for people trying St. John’s: The side effects are sunlight sensitivity in some people. Always use sunscreen when taking the herb, and if you are in bright sunlight, wear UV sunglasses. And like with any herb, you always have to listen to your body – and if you’re taking prescription meds, or have a medical condition, run it past your doctor, as some herbs interact with prescription medications.]

AN INCREASINGLY FRAGMENTED SOCIETY

Medications aside, who knows the real reason people get depressed?

Maybe some of it is genetics. But much of it I believe is societal.

Even in today’s “connected” world, we live in a fragmented society, with massive social pressures. And many of our societal institutions (marriage, family) are fragmenting. Combined with a sense of isolation, these factors can be a bad mix -- a terrific recipe to trigger someone into Depression.

Humankind is a social animal by nature. But a large percentage of the population feels isolated and alone. Modern day relationships have an increasingly temporary nature. Marriages don’t last, love relationships are temporary and cheating is rampant, friendships can often be just superficial, and even family relationships can have a temporary or partial nature.

Increasing numbers of people in the U.S. live alone or have few real social connections, which makes them feel increasingly isolated.

In my own city on the West Coast of the U.S. it is estimated that half the households are single people. That sounds terrific, until you realize that living alone is one of the factors that can cause a person to feel alienated or isolated from society.

THE NEGATIVE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media may counteract some of the isolation, but it’s not a solution, and in some cases it can make people more apt to fall into various degrees of Depression.

I know some people with numerous Facebook friends, numerous social media followers, high numbers of of 'likes' on their posts and pictures -- and yet they still are dealing with depression. With their smart phone they may be constantly connected with numerous other people, and have all the social media and apps: FB, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Kik, various other messaging and chat apps, etc. etc. -- and they still deal with depression.

The problem is the superficial and trivial nature of many social media 'friendships' and 'followers'. Such relationships can be real, but often their only real value is a number count, and such "friendships" are often superficial at best.

Social Media has replaced quality of friendships with quantity, and has replaced real friendships with networking. Networking is important, and it can augment real friendships, but networking can not replace real friendships with real people.

One of the problems with the internet is that it's easy to hit a 'like' button and pretend you care, when you really don't. It's also easy to never hit a 'like' button when someone maybe really could use it. It's easy to use the delete button or back button, rather than actually deal with someone.

And it's easy to overlook people you know on social media because there is just so much competition for attention -- individuals and friends just get lost in the vast internet static.

And the drama? Yeah -- who can forget the drama?

With all the political arguments and dramas that I've seen happen on sites like Facebook, social media can become more of a negative than a positive. I've seen people "de-friend" others over trivial political and religious arguments -- or even for no reason at all.

In the pre-social media world, it took a hell of a lot for friends to dump friends.

In today's social media climate, all you do is click a button. 

SOCIAL MEDIA AND SMART PHONES AS A CHEATING TOOL -- DAMAGING RELATIONSHIPS

Social media has made it easier to cheat, or push boundaries in love relationships to the breaking point.

An example: a survey of U.S. divorce lawyers says that one in five U.S. divorces involve social media in some way -- usually by spouses seeking out former partners, or chatting sexually with someone other than their spouse.

It is estimated that 30% of people who use online dating sites (as well as dating and hookup apps) are already married (who knows what percentage who use them are in another form of commitment), and there are entire websites dedicated to helping you find sex on the side (the now defunct Ashley Madison and its replacements, etc.). There are websites in nearly every city in the U.S. with listings for 'casual encounters' where one can find people actively looking to cheat on their spouse or partner. Whereas in the past one had to actually work at cheating, today it's easy as flipping on your smart phone.

Smart Phones and social media make it easier to cheat than ever before.

Just by using your smart phone, you can hunt for relationships on the side, message, chat, text, sext, email, arrange meetings, send and receive snap pics -- all kinds of sneaky things behind your partner's back. You don't even have to be in another room.

You can do it 24/7, even while sitting right next to your partner while watching TV. All on your smart phone. It's instant, and it's easy. And it's done probably millions of times by people every day.

While cheating has always been around, the fact that social media and the internet has made it so much easier to cheat has destroyed trust in relationships, and because of it, people can become more bitter, distrusting and isolated.

I'm not a psychologist, but I think divorce and cheating both contribute to depression in lots of people. I haven't met a person yet who was cheated on and felt great about it. I've met very few people who recently had gotten divorced and were truly happy about it. Usually splits lead a person's mood into the opposite direction -- opening them up to a form of Depression.

WEBSITES AND WEB FEATURES THAT PLAY WITH ONE'S SELF ESTEEM

Low self-esteem can be a depression trigger, and there are websites whose entire existence is centered around playing with one's self esteem. There is more than one popular website where you place photos for people to rate you by your looks. The rating number goes up or down, depending on the percentage of people who rate you as "hot".

They slide or tap their button on their smart phone and instantly rate you as good or bad. Instant approval -- or instant rejection, all based on a couple of photos. In the past, judging someone solely by their looks was derided, but now it's a popular way to hook up for sex or find dates. The slick thing about it is that it's fast. The shitty side of it is that you literally are voting someone up or down based on their picture, and their rating is shown publicly.

You don't even have to talk to the person: in fact, you don't interact at all. It's all based on looks, and looks alone -- it's very superficial. So what happens when you first rated an 8, but you now are a 6? What happens if you never rated at all? What happens if your friends are all 8's and 9's and you're a 5?

The concept can sound innocuous, but many people using sites like the one described are looking for affirmation from the opposite sex, where it can do the most damage if it's in the negative.

Social media sites usually have 'like' buttons, which is a cheap way to say "you're cool" or "I agree". Some people crave 'likes' because of this. So what happens if you don't get enough likes? If you are looking for affirmation of your own self worth by watching the number of 'likes' you get, what happens to your self esteem when you get a lot less 'likes' than the person next to you?

Once again -- it looks innocuous on the outside, but it can harm people.

SOME STUDIES LINK SOCIAL MEDIA TO DEPRESSION

There have been studies linking social media use and Depression. Here are some links:

(An article discussing these studies: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/04/facebook-envy_n_6606824.html)
(Another article quoting a study on FB use and depression: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/17/facebook-study_n_5595890.html)
(Another article mentions FB use and personality disorders, including envy and depression:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-firestone/facebook-narcissism_b_1905073.html -- 
"Facebook users were also more likely to negatively compare themselves to others and feel worse about themselves.")

The studies hint that 'envy' is the key trigger -- a person spends time on Facebook (you could substitute any popular social media app or site), they see all these wonderful things others are doing, see all these glamorous pictures of others, numbers of 'likes' others receive, large 'friend' numbers, huge number of 'followers', etc. -- and feel like their own life just doesn't match up to it.

An internet 'meme' or placard which made its rounds (in various forms) on Instagram about 2 years ago. An example of social media not being the social panacea it is often touted to be. Caveat emptor.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS A TWO-EDGED SWORD FOR PEOPLE WHO DEAL WITH DEPRESSION

Social media seems to be a two-edged sword. It can make people feel more connected -- and it can indeed connect people. You can re-discover old friends, and stay connected with them, even if they are hundreds of miles away.

You can meet new people, and find valuable new relationships, and you are not limited by your own small geographic area. For these reasons, social media and the internet can definitely help people interact with others and be a positive.

But -- social media can also make people feel more alienated and alone, and its use can damage relationships and damage an individual's self esteem if they don't receive enough positive affirmation, or if they feel left out, when compared to others. Seeing other people looking like jetsetters -- when your own online life appears less glamorous -- can be a negative, as shown in the above studies.

POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

Aside from prescription drugs, some people suggest the power of positive thinking as a solution for depression. There is a book called “The Power Of The Subconscious Mind” (by Joseph Murphy) that I once read, which talks about using your thoughts, and injecting ideas into your subconscious mind to bring about positive change in your life.  

I wasn’t dealing with depression when I read the book, so I have no idea if it -- or books like it -- could help depression. But I can see some value in the idea.

Maybe some day someone will come up with the grand solution to end all depression. Until then, various coping mechanisms or anti-depression medications seem to be the only things available to counter it.

SOME SUGGESTIONS

Unless you live in one of those small enclaves where community and family are strong, relationships last and are stable, the best thing you can do if you are prone to depression is to avoid the pitfalls of modern life that seem to be recipes for it. Know your triggers and steer clear of them. If it's the news, for example -- lay off watching the news and find something else to occupy your mind.

Get a cat or dog, or a bird. Pets are always there for you, no matter what.

Be very careful with social media.

Don't look to others for reaffirmation, and don't seek reaffirmation online.

Get a hobby, or take up music or some sort of expressive art, like writing, drawing or painting. Music pulled me through a lot of tough times.

I also found St. John's helpful. I had a minor bout of depression when my stepfather died several years ago. The herb seemed to take the edge off of the lows.

Note: I first put this blog post together over a year ago... I'd completely forgotten about it. Periodically I'd make changes, and than forget about it again... I decided to go ahead and publish it, if only because of all the typing it took to write it. :-) C.C. 8-24-2016

GEO-BLOCKING AND THE DEATH OF DXing (Radio Distance Listening)

As I've mentioned before on my blog, one of my hobbies has been long distance radio listening, mainly to the AM radio broadcast band, a pastime known to some as Medium Wave "DXing".

Although lately I haven't really done that much active MW DXing, I usually tune in to a couple distant stations each night, if only to see what the atmospheric conditions are like. And -- of course -- I'll tune into the Merced, California rock station called "The Bear" on 1660 khz., KBRE. KBRE's 1660 station is a relay of their local FM translator in Merced on 105.7.

Online streaming of far away commercial radio stations is becoming a disappearing opportunity. National network stations, like some BBC services as well as Sweden's SverigesRadio and Norway's NRK, still have streams of their stations available. Who knows how long that will last, before they also geo-fence?

I've written about 105.7 The Bear on this blog before, it's a great rock music station, and worth checking out if you live in the Western United States and Canada.

I've listened to them online as well as on the AM band, and used their online stream a few times when the AM nighttime atmospheric conditions were abysmal, or during times of the day I wouldn't be able to hear their signal otherwise.

Unfortunately I discovered, to my chagrin, that The Bear now geo-fences or "geo-blocks" anyone who tries to stream the station, who lives outside their metro area. Like an increasing number of stations in the U.S. and Canada, they are limiting who listens to the online stream because of streaming costs.

INCREASED STREAMING ROYALTIES AND GEO-BLOCKING

This is an increasing trend taken among radio stations here in the U.S., something not only noticed by DXers, but also by expatriates and people trying to hear some programming from "back home".

I've noticed geo-fencing on TuneIn, an app that I used to use quite a bit. Now, it seems half the time I "tune in" to a commercial radio station online using TuneIn, I hear their one-minute commercial and then I get nothing but dead air, or a message saying "This station isn't available in your area".

It's not TuneIn's fault, of course. It's the station itself choosing to geo-block their broadcast. They are doing it to save money because of royalty costs and internet connection costs. Radio, after all, is a business in the United States.

 I know, it's just rock music on the AM band, but The Bear still sounds pretty cool!

When radio stations first discovered the internet in the early 2000's (some stations embraced it in some form in the very late 1990's), they were proud of their overseas and nationwide listeners on the internet. Many people in the radio industry opened up their own online radio stations -- either as a hobby, or as a small enterprise -- with new types of music formats; and some radio hobbyists saw online radio as an affordable way to "play DJ" or popularise music and artists that weren't usually getting played on the airwaves.

But with the increase in streaming music royalty fees, many stations simply can't justify having streaming listeners who aren't in their local market -- the costs of paying the royalties do not outweigh any benefit of having listeners that aren't marketable to advertisers.

And this is not helped by an economy that has hit radio revenues hard, according to radio business experts.

And many small online-only radio stations have gone out of business, too. For many, the streaming royalty fees have done them in. The costs of operating an online station outweigh the benefits.

Ironically, while the world is slowly going "global" -- with the internet increasing ties that cross international borders -- radio is unfortunately slowly going in the opposite direction.

WHERE 'DXing' FITS IN

The hobby of DXing is a relatively unknown one but it's existed since there was such a thing as broadcast radio. Whether music and programming were broadcast on AM, FM, Shortwave, or Longwave, there have always been people trying to see how many far away stations they can pick up on their radios. I'm sure in the DAB countries there are people who try to hear the DAB transmitters in the next metro.

It's part of the adventure in listening. For many, radio is just a local jukebox-style music service, but for others, it's a window to the greater world.

Before there was an internet, there were people who loved reading newspapers and magazines from other countries -- and there also were people who loved hearing radio programming from other areas, regions, and countries, too.

For many years, radio Long Distance Listening -- especially on the Shortwave radio bands -- was an education in other countries' cultures. It was the radio equivalent of going to a news or cultural website hosted by another country, in another language.

I used to listen to the Voice of Russia (and its predecessor, Radio Moscow) and I learned a lot about the Soviet Republics and Russian culture by listening to their programs. I would tune in the Russians' SW "Mayak" programming sent out to their mariners in the Pacific, trying to learn a bit of Russian -- and listening to the music.

When I hear the Brazilian Radio Nacional da Amazonia on the SW band, I can hear all sorts of interesting programming in Portuguese.

Now, I understand very little Portuguese. But I hear music and commercials and all sorts of windows into Brazilian life on Radio Nacional da Amazonia that I would not have if I didn't have access to their radio broadcasts.

It's much the same when I have listened to the NRK's stations. I've heard bands and artists I wouldn't have heard otherwise. I've been able to learn a bit of the Norwegian language from listening.

I have learned a lot about the goings-on in other U.S. cities and states (and in Canadian provinces) by listening to radio stations from those areas on my AM radios... I think in some small way it has helped me understand my countrymen in other states because of it, and I know I have a better understanding of Canada because of my listening to the CBC.

True, you can access websites that have all sorts of printed information on other areas of the world, but what if you want to hear something from another part of the world? To actually listen to their local media?

God forbid over-the-air broadcasting goes away: all chances of someone in Seattle hearing live programming from places like San Francisco, Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, Portland, Los Angeles, Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and other places in North America will slowly vanish. All will depend on the extent of geo-blocking that stations choose to engage in.

WHEN BROADCASTING BECOMES NARROWCASTING 

It is my opinion that once online streaming replaces FM and AM broadcasting (which may happen in 20 years or so), you can kiss off the idea of listening to anything from outside your own local area. Unless streaming royalties drop precipitously (they probably won't), all radio will be local only, and without any over the air transmissions there will be zero chance of a listener in the US hearing broadcasts from another state, or another country.

Now, to most FM radio listeners, that's no great loss. Who cares about what's happening in the next city or state? Who cares about what happens in another country overseas? Who needs to hear programming in another language, or music from another part of the world presented by people from that area? Who needs that when you can listen to the Top 40 on your local FM over-the-air or online station?

Soon enough it may be time to take the hammer to the mini-boombox?

But there is something lost when that opportunity is gone. When we read about some countries blocking internet access from other areas of the world, we complain about "censorship". But what happens when we allow broadcasting to become narrowcasting?


I'm certain that when over-the-air radio disappears -- probably years from now -- there may be some countries that will keep their online streams open: any country that wants to influence listeners overseas may do so. But as long as royalty fees remain high -- once over-the-air broadcasting starts to disappear -- the idea that you can regularly listen to programming from another region, area, state, province or country will go the way of the Dodo. It will change the definition of the word "broadcasting".

And that will be a sad day for the free exchange of ideas and radio cultural programming.

MW DXing with the Realistic DX-350 / Sangean SG-700L

As I have mentioned in several previous posts here, one of my hobbies is Long Distance AM/MW band radio listening (also known as AM/MW 'DXing').

The Realistic DX-350, a small analog tuned AM-FM-SW-LW radio made by Sangean. The top one was made in Taiwan. The bottom one (badged "Radio Shack" instead of "Realistic") was made in China.

I use several radios for MW DXing. None of them are high end models. They're all portable radios. This is for a couple of reasons. The first reason is economics. I just can't justify spending $500-$1000 for an Icom R-75 or Drake R8 to listen to long distance AM radio. The hobby is fun, but not so important to me that I would spend more when I can make do or spend less.

The second reason is I prefer the challenge of using radios I already have bought over the years, and making do. A lot of DXing is skill, anyway. I live in the NW US and I've heard Mexico City and Alaska on a boombox. I've heard Cuba on a Radio Shack Pocket Radio.

You don't necessarily need a high-end radio to get results.

Radio Shack now seems to be in financial dire straits, but they used to be THE store here in the U.S. to go to if you were a radio enthusiast and wanted a radio that not only worked, but worked rather well. Consequently, like many radio enthusiasts, I have a few Radio Shack branded radios.

RADIO SHACK AM/FM/SW ANALOG GEMS

I decided to post some info on a couple Radio Shack models I use for MW DXing that aren't mentioned by a lot of DXers online: the Radio Shack DX-350 & 350A. There isn't that much info online about them, either. And because there is so little information online about the DX-350's, this article is a little more in-depth than it normally would be.

Both DX-350 models were sold by Radio Shack in the 1990's and 2000's. I suppose by now they would be considered relics, but they work well, especially on the MW band.

The DX-350 was Radio Shack's version of the Sangean 700L radio ("L" standing for Long-Wave, as the 350 has a LW band as well as AM, FM, and SW.

The DX-350 has reasonably high fidelity -- especially through the headphone jack -- and is fun to listen to SW with, and is fun to DX the AM band with.


Of course, the DX-350 isn't available new anymore, but some online retailers carry them used, and I am certain they are available on auction sites like EBay.

Naturally, a DX-350 won't compete with a tabletop, high-end DX radio -- but with a loop next to one, it will do quite well. With a loop next to my DX-350A, I can hear what I hear with a Superadio.

And if you seriously want to hear something from very far away on the MW/AM band, you probably are using an external loop, anyway.

REALISTIC DX-350 AND DX-350A

The "DX-350" is actually two separate radios (DX-350 and DX-350A). It is an analog tuned 12 band radio -- AM, FM, Longwave, and SW in 9 bands (49, 41, 31, 25, 21, 19, 16, 13, and 11 meter shortwave bands). The MW band tunes the North American X-band, up to 1710 khz. The radio is reasonably small, and would probably fit into a large shirt or coat breast pocket (if you wanted to take one on a trail, or on a bicycle, for example). The DX-350 runs forever on a set of 4 AA batteries.

SANGEAN RADIOS

Both DX-350's are Radio Shack versions of the Sangean SG 700L and SG 700LA, respectively (the "L" apparently stands for "Longwave"). The later version of these two radios, the DX-350A, was marketed as a "DX-350", but the Radio Shack catalog number, and Sangean's ID# on the radio's printed circuit board both have an "A" attached, indicating the updated model.

Some time during these radios' run, Sangean moved production from Taiwan to China and completely re-designed the radio, with a different chip and PCB.

These are identical looking radios on the outside, and the specifications are similar. They look different on the inside, however. The difference is the IF chip used , as well as the number of ceramic filters used on the AM and SW bands. Other components are different also. The 350A has more 'mini' IF cans. In performance, the DX-350A is a bit more sensitive, and the DX-350 is more selective. On FM the sound is full but in mono, not stereo.

The Taiwanese made Realistic DX-350 with the front off. You can see the numerous tuning coils (those little metal square 'cans') used to tune the various SW, MW and LW broadcast bands. The Toshiba TA8122 IF chip can just be seen to the left of the tuner (the tuner is that big clear plastic thing in the middle of the radio). The radio receives FM in mono, so it just has one audio chip. The sound through the speaker is fairly good for a small radio.

The earlier of the two models, the DX-350 / SG 700L, was made in Taiwan, and it has a TA8122 IF chip and a separate, mono audio chip. It has two ceramic filters on AM and SW which narrows the bandwidth and makes it a good DX radio. It's an excellent MW DX radio, especially if you use an external loop. The selectivity is robust, and the sound through headphones is full and smooth. Being that it only has a 120mm X 8 mm loopstick, it's not a Superadio, but in high signal areas it probably can give most portables a run for the money.

A pic of the DX-350A's 120mm MW/LW loopstick, showing its flat top (the bottom is flattened also), making it compact but still 8 mm wide. The loopstick, plus the hot CXA1019 Sony chip inside the 350A is probably what makes it perform better than you'd normally think. The loopstick on the earlier, Taiwanese made 350 is identical.

The DX-350A / SG 700LA was the updated version of the radio. It was made in China, and instead of a Toshiba chip, it has a high-gain Sony CXA1019 IF chip which performs all functions. This same chip is used in some Sony headsets and clock radios, but it's also used in their ICF-38 AM/FM radio, which is also a very good performer.

HIGHER FIDELITY DXing

The 350A has a single ceramic filter -- similar to the set up in your average table radio or boombox. It sounds like it's about 8 khz or 7 khz wide, which gives a full sound on AM and SW -- through headphones the sound on the MW/AM band is amazing. Shortwave stations sound rich and full also through headphones. On SW you can hear heterodyne whistles when there are two stations really close to each other, but in today's sparse SW environment that's less of a problem than it used to be.


It is a terrific radio for IDing a MW station on a crowded channel. The sound is so lush through headphones that it makes DXing a pleasure. Over the past several years since I rediscovered the hobby of MW DXing it's probably the radio I enjoy using the most, because of the headphone sound.

There is a plus and minus to higher fidelity on a DX radio. The plus is that it sounds great. And you can ID stations easier when you can hear the audio better, especially the highs, which usually get cut on a narrower bandwidth radio. There is less midrange, and it's next to impossible to get listener's fatigue on a 350A.

However, the drawback from the 7-8 khz selectivity is that you get more splatter and interference from strong channels nearby, and on some occasions a strong local may swamp a weak adjacent. In this case, using an external loop and placing it 6-8 inches (130mm to 200mm) away from the radio helps.

As the CXA1019 chip -- which is the heart of this radio -- has a built in RF amp on AM and SW, the radio is fairly sensitive. It's obviously not a Superadio, but with a loop it can probably match one in sensitivity.

FM PERFORMANCE - DECENT ON THE 350, OVERLOAD ON THE 350A WITH WHIP EXTENDED

On FM the Taiwanese made DX-350 is fairly selective and pulls in most, if not all, FM stations that my other SW digital portables pull in. Not being an FM DXer, I have no idea how well this radio would work for such pursuits. But it has a decent FM section, with little overload.

The CXA1019 which the 350A uses also has an RF amp section for FM, so it will pull in stations, but the high gain and fairly wide bandwidth probably makes it a poor FM DX radio. Comparing the 350A to the 350 I have found that it has a tendency to overload on FM at my location. I have to keep the whip antenna retracted to get decent FM reception. With the whip retracted I receive most the local stations, including stations in the public section of the FM band and the sound is full and pleasant. But the overload and wider bandwidth precludes reception of fringe stations. The only way one could DX with the 350A is to be away from local transmitters, or find a terrain shadow. In this way it's probably like your average boombox of the 80's or 90's -- decent reception, but will only DX in certain locations.

For tuning the FM band, the Taiwanese made DX-350 is much better.

The inside of the Chinese made DX-350A. As can be seen (when compared to the similar pic of the Taiwanese made DX-350 above) the components are different; they are in different places, and there are less of them. The two versions of DX-350 are almost like different radios. Of the two DX-350 radios, I've used this Chinese-made one the most.

As the CXA1019 chip has an electronic volume control (in other words, the adjustment in volume is actually controlled by a function inside the chip itself), chances are very slim that the DX-350A's volume control will ever get scratchy, which is cool.

DECENT FOR SW BROADCAST LISTENING OR BANDSCANNING -- BUT CAN HAVE LOCAL FM INTERFERENCE

Both versions of the DX-350 are fun for bandscanning and listening to SW radio broadcasts. In 2012 I heard CKZN, St. John's, Newfoundland, one evening on my DX-350A, just off of its whip antenna. It was just underneath CKZU, Vancouver, BC (200 km away), on 6160 khz. There was a definite echo on the CBC programming, and then the second station, CKZN, went to a separate local newscast. It's the only time I've heard that station, which is a fairly low power station. Obviously, atmospheric conditions were excellent. But it's an example of the radio's ability to hear stations on SW.

I sometimes use my DX-350's for listening to SW broadcasts while working out in my workout/storage room. Living in the NW US, Asian stations come in quite well. Just before writing this, I heard the Voice Of America on my DX-350A, broadcasting in Korean on 9800 Khz., while working out.

If you're located near strong FM stations you'll get some FM hash on the SW bands on the DX-350's, which I 'null out' by moving the SW whip antenna until it's mostly gone. Strong SW stations will cover such hash completely. Of the two radios, the Taiwanese model with the narrower selectivity has the least amount of FM hash on the SW bands.

LONGWAVE

Both models receive longwave. I've never LW DXed with either radio, but I was hearing a few local NDB 'beacons' (up to 50 miles away) until my router and other local RFI covered the LW band with buzzing and hash last year.


My guess is with a good LW loop one could probably LW DX with a DX-350. Not having a longwave external loop, I haven't tried that.

LOW BATTERY DRAIN

As both DX-350's use 4 AA batteries and have very low current drain, they just go and go and go and go and go before the batteries die! They would make excellent emergency preparedness radios. Aside from DXing with the radio, I sometimes use my DX-350 around the house, to listen to football games in my workout room. I change the AA's maybe once or twice a year (I listen mostly on headphones, though -- except when listening in my workout room). There have been times I've taken AA's out of a digital SW portable and popped them into my DX-350's and the radios will still work for a while on them.

USING AN EXTERNAL LOOP

Two years ago I did most of my DXing on the MW with my DX-350's and a loop. To get a little more selectivity out of the 350A (the model made in China with the single ceramic filter) I just moved the external loop further away from the radio, which definitely helps.

My DX-350A inside a box crate loop which I made from 110 ft. of wire (around 33 meters) and a tuner from an old AM radio. Setting it inside the loop works well unless more selectivity is needed.

One thing I've discovered is that with both of these DX-350 versions, if you use an external loop, it's best if you keep the loop 5-8 inches (13-20 cm) or so away from the side of the radio. Even with the more selective Taiwanese made 350, you'll get a little more gain that way.

I have been able to DX with a box crate loop (as shown in the picture above) by setting a 350 or 350A inside the loop. But in cases where I needed more selectivity, I've set the radio outside the loop (as mentioned before), maybe 6 inches distant (15 cm).

This is especially needed with the Chinese made DX-350A, which is less selective. On channels with no local adjacents, setting the loop next to the radio will add gain, but on channels with strong adjacents, the target channel can get swamped unless you place the loop 5-6 inches away.

GREAT SOUND THROUGH HEADPHONES!!

Of the two versions of the DX-350, I use the 350A a bit more often because it's a little hotter, and the sound through headphones on the AM band is so lush. It's very useful for hanging out on a 'graveyard' MW channel (a channel which has numerous stations on it) to catch an ID, because the higher fidelity makes it easier to catch ID's. It's a little less useful for hanging out on a channel near a strong local, because unless you set the external loop just right, it can be a bit difficult to null out the splatter. Every radio seems to have a trade off of some sort -- the fidelity vs. selectivity is the trade-off here.

GOOD FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, TOO

If you have one of these Radio Shack radios -- or their Sangean equivalents -- and are into MW distance listening, they're worth trying out. And if you are into emergency preparedness and you have one of these radios, bear in mind that they pull in stations well and are very, very light on battery usage. In the event there ever is a grid failure (God forbid), a DX-350 loaded with fresh AA's will last quite a while, especially if headphones are used (the radio is small enough to fit into a large coat pocket).

And face it: you can stock up on AA's cheaply and store them in a shoebox, if necessary -- or store them out of the way, in a small drawer. Several sets of AA's would probably drive a DX-350 for a year.

ADDENDUM, May 22nd, 2024:

After a few years of not using my DX-350's much, I started using my DX-350A on MW and SW. With MW, it took a bit to get used to using the radio with the loop, as it had been a while since I DX'ed with it a lot. On SW, however, I learned a new trick -- to use a wire antenna with your DX-350 or 350A, rig up a resistor or two to clip between the wire antenna and your DX-350A / 350. I had rigged up a couple different resistors to try out with other radios. The resistors themselves were a little high in range -- 47K ohms and 33K ohms, but with a high gain radio like a DX-350A the resistors seem to cut down the signal levels off a wire antenna and reduce and/or eliminate overload. 

Ideal resistor values would probably be between 250 ohms to 1K-2K ohms or so. 

Being that one 47K or 33K resistor seemed to cut down signals a bit much, I used both in parallel, giving me roughly 19K ohms, which was enough to cut down overload, and still pull in WWCR, WRMI, Marti, Reach Beyond Australia (in Korean to Korea), Radio Educacion, CFRB Toronto (6070). WRMI on 9955, and a bit of Missionaria on 9665 -- all clearly, except for Missionaria, which was really weak on all my radios last night. All stations were on the 49, 41 and 31 meter bands. I also got armchair copy off of Radio New Zealand on 9700, and KNLS's Russian service. The last two stations were strong enough the whip would probably have brought them in, but with the resistors, I was able to use my 25 ft / 9 meter indoor wire without worrying about overload. 

To connect the resistors? Use alligator clips. One end of the resistor hooks around the set screw on the alligator clip, and you tighten that down -- and the other resistor lead is for your antenna lead to clip to. To run two high value resistors in parallel if you don't have a 200 ohm or 500 ohm resistor, just clip the two resistors to the whip next to each other, and clip the antenna lead's alligator clip to both of the resistor leads.

Here's a 2024 pic of the DX-350A with the two resistors, in parallel, clipped between my 25 ft. wire and the whip antenna. This particular night I was able to DX the SW bands with minimal overload using this method. I took the pic while listening to a station in the 31 Meter SWBC band.:

It just goes to show you -- you never stop learning how to use your radios. :-)

C.C.

KVRQ 98.9 FM -- New Classic Rock Station in Seattle

I have to admit it: I'm not exactly nuts about Classic Rock. I love some of the bands, though. The music itself isn't the problem for me -- I just don't want to hear it over and over and over again.

Most of those songs from that era (Led Zep, The Who, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, etc.) are ingrained in my head, both from hearing them on the radio over the years, and from having them in my CD collection. Also I heard them over and over and over and over again where I used to work (a company that provided music for radio stations all over the United States).

So when I heard there was a new "classic rock" station in Seattle, KVRQ 98.9, for a while I decided to ignore it.

But after a while, curiosity got the best of me, and I gave them a listen.

Imagine my surprise, they're actually quite good: they play a lot of 90's rock tracks, and some 80's stuff I haven't heard in a while. They seem to be very 80's and 90's heavy, with a few 00's thrown in, which I like. I just heard Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California", and the other night while cleaning the house I heard "Under The Bridge"; then I heard Quiet Riot's "Metal Health" ("Bang Your Head") -- a track I hadn't heard in a long time. Then there was a track by Tool. Then Danzig's "Mother". Then "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails. Then I heard Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood". You get the idea.

It sounded great on my Sangean PR-D5 mini-boombox. Nikki Sixx's bass sounded terrific.

And along with the newer classics on KVRQ you still get Black Sabbath, Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin -- and don't forget Ozzy Osbourne. I've heard "Over The Mountain", "Flying High Again", and a few other Ozzy staples.

I've noticed they play a lot of the classic songs that KBRE 105.7 The Bear (a station I've written about previously in this blog) includes in the "gold" part of their playlist: 80's and 90's heavy. The main difference, of course, is The Bear plays a lot of new rock, too.

I haven't heard a lot of nu-metal (aside from Disturbed) or rap-rock on KVRQ yet. Not sure if that's their cup of tea. Being a Seattle station, they do play a good dose of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains.

KVRQ is on 98.9 FM locally, but they also have an online stream on their website (http://989rocks.com/), so most of the people who read this blog can probably listen. I don't think they geo-fence, but I'm not sure. I see they're on Tune-In, for those who use that app.

http://tunein.com/radio/Rock-989-s26280/

For those of you into classic rock from the 80's and 90's, they're worth giving a try.

And if you want to hear newer rock mixed in, with a Seattle flavor, there's always KISW 99.9. They have an online stream, too.

KZOK 102.5 FM is the Seattle classic rock staple -- they play a lot of the 70's stuff everybody knows. They're starting to toss in a few 90's tracks into their playlist, though. They also have an online stream.

Addendum, 12-10-2017:
KVRQ "Rock 98.9" unfortunately is no longer with us. :-(  The company that owns the station decided to flip the format from Rock to Country music. This was after a local change in ownership of several radio stations in the Seattle area, which has caused several stations to change formats or frequencies. 98.9 was a good Rock station -- it played a lot of great music and it lasted just over a year and a half. RIP "Rock 98.9".

Fixing a rusted chain on a Japanese 10-speed Bicycle

A few days ago I was out on my morning ride on my trusty bicycle, and passed a house that had a blue bike out front, with a sign on it that said "FREE".

The rear wheel, rear derailleur, and chain of my 'new' Ventura 10-speed bike. If you look closely, you can see the chain was rusted throughout, and rusted frozen in places -- especially the curved spot directly between the crank and the derailleur freewheel gear cluster. That section was not flexible at all. Frozen stiff.

I took a look at the bike and it seemed it could be rideable and fixable if there was anything wrong with it.

It was a 1980's Japanese ten-speed, a Ventura, with stem mounted gear shifters, a Shimano 600 rear derailleur, and a cotterless crank (no cotter pins holding the crank arms to the crank axle -- a definite plus).

The Ventura badge on the front of the bike, photographed the morning I got it. It was hardly ridden, and outfitted with the standard front and rear reflectors that were common in the late 1970's and in the 1980's on 10-speeds.

Here you can see how rusted the chain was, and a rusted link is holding up the rear derailleur at a high angle.

I went home, came back to the house where the bike was, and took the bike home. When I tested the bike, the wheels turned freely, which was a good sign.

Aside from some minor scratches and a broken fender, it looked like it had barely been ridden. It has a license sticker on it that says August 1981 on it -- so it's at least that old.

The Ventura bike after I was done cleaning it up, lubing it, and freeing up (and oiling) the chain. Perfectly rideable.

A close up of the drive train, showing the chain and rear derailleur both hanging normally, with the chain rust-free and oiled.

A close up picture of the Shimano 600 rear derailleur and the freed-up, oiled chain. The derailleur is now hanging normally. It's amazing what some penetrating oil, spray lubricant, and hard work with with a couple sets of pliers will do.

The Ventura had several rusted spots on the chain, including a three and a half inch long stretch of chain that was rusted frozen: probably why the original owners decided to give away the bike.

That night -- after work -- I worked on the bike. The chain was the biggest challenge. A few of the links I was able to free up using spray lube and penetrating oil... but the three and a half inch stretch of rusted frozen chain was a real bear to free up. I had to use lots of penetrating oil, two sets of pliers, and a wire brush to free up the rust. Even that wouldn't work on the last three links of chain.

A chain link removing tool. It is normally used to drive out the little pins that hold the chain together -- you can remove bad links, and remove chains from bikes that way. But you can also use a chain link tool to free up rusted chains -- sometimes the rust will work its way into the pins. Working the pins with the tool will free them up.

So I used a chain-link removing tool. It's a small bike tool that is used to remove links from chains, and remove chains from bicycles. It pushes out the little pins that hold the chain links together.

With the chain link tool I moved the pins back and forth, eventually freeing up the links, because the pins themselves apparently had some rust on them.

I used auto bearing grease on the front and rear wheel, and the crankshaft. It is weather resistant and works really, really well. Applying it to an old bike will usually make it ride like a brand new one.

Some motor oil on the chain is a good, readily available lubricant. I always use a paper towel to rub off the excess: this also cleans junk off the chain. I oil my bike chains whenever needed, usually every other month or so (always cleaning them off with a paper towel) -- I do it when the chain starts to look dirty.

Silicone spray on the tires softens up the rubber and extends their mileage -- you can get more miles out of older bike tires this way.

About two hours after starting work on the bike it was rideable. The chain worked like new.

Then I used auto bearing grease on the wheels and the crank, and sprayed lubricant on the derailleurs, and finally spray cleaned and then oiled the chain.

A view of the Ventura 10-speed bicycle after it was lubed and cleaned up a bit. The Japanese made high quality bikes.

The bike now rides like brand new.

God Bless the Japanese... they knew how to make great bikes (as well as great radios and great guitars -- their cars have a good rep, too). Their bikes were generally high standard, even the budget models. The Shimano 600 derailleur shifts very smoothly. The Japanese made (and make) excellent derailleurs -- even the lower market ones from the 70's and 80's still work well when cleaned and lubed. Shimano and Suntour were both excellent companies (Shimano still makes bike parts, Suntour is out of business).

Sammy the Cat.

The Ventura is a smooth riding bike because the frame is heavier than modern bikes (most 70's era frames were well engineered, but heavier than today's bike frames), so the heavier frame absorbs shocks, and because it has a low center of gravity it is a very stable and comfortable ride. It's not so heavy that it is hard to ride.

A free bike was the last thing I expected those few mornings ago, but the bike is now my main rider.

The sunset earlier yesterday. Taken with my Nikon L32 -- I got a new SD card for it.

"Hill Henge": A pic of the sun going down over the hill to the NW. I marked the picture, showing where the sun set on Solstice, and how far it has moved southwards in just one month (southwards is to the left of the picture).

Yesterday it was about 80 degrees F around 9 in the morning -- a beautiful, bright sunny day. Later in the afternoon it reached 92F (around 34C).

My shadow on a bright, warm sunny Summer morning. The headlight of my bike is an LED flashlight attacked to the goose-neck of the handlebar with zip-ties.

NOTHING MUCH HAPPENING

Aside from the new bike, nothing much else exciting is happening. The weather has been good here, mostly 80F/25C or above during the day, and a few of the nights have been warm also (15C or so). My radio hobby is on the back burner because DX conditions are mediocre, so I just listen to it in the background while reading or doing things around the house and yard.

A lone Trail walker during the bright 80F sun early Friday.

Three fly-fishermen wading the Cedar River on a warm, sunny summer morning, July 29th. During Fall, Spring and Winter the water would be two feet higher and impossible (and dangerous!) to attempt to wade in.

LOOKING FOR POKEMONS

While I was working out with weights the other day I heard a couple boys talking excitedly out on the street. I looked out the window, and there were three boys on bikes, all staring at their smartphones. They went down the street, and then turned around and rode back past my place, talking excitedly, before they rode on to the next block.

It took a second for me to figure out -- they were looking for Pokemons!

They looked like they were having fun. It looks like a high-tech Easter Egg hunt.

The Cedar River at its summer water level -- low and warm in July and August, and sometimes warm and low in early September.

Some colorful graffiti artwork on the 100 year-old concrete support for the Cedar River Trestle. Taken July 19th on my Canon snapshot camera.

Himalayan Blackberries are a non-native plant that grow everywhere here in Western Washington and Oregon. The berries start appearing in mid- to late July, and they truly ripen by early August. Sometimes while riding down the Trail you can smell the sweetness in the air from either blackberry flowers (in early summer) or blackberries themselves. Blackberries can be a pain to deal with in a back yard, but they do provide free food, and are the world's cheapest security fence. :-)

MICHAEL CRICHTON'S 'TIMELINE' NOVEL

I've almost finished a book I got at a thrift store: Michael Crichton's "Timeline", which I thought would be boring, but it turned out to be very interesting. It's about time travel from the present day back to the 1300's in Medieval France, using wormholes in 'quantum foam' to transport yourself to a separate universe. Apparently physicists confirm that we live in a "multiverse" -- a universe made up of thousands, if not millions, of other universes, all existing simultaneously. It's a bit too much for my head to take in, but the book doesn't delve into that part of it much.

Soon after I took my first ride with the Ventura bike I went down towards the river and the park. Someone left a bit of 'artwork' in the sand.

A pair of women's sandals that were cast off by the side of the Cedar River Trail for who-knows-what reason.

The main thing I've gotten so far from the "Timeline" book is that the Medieval world in Europe in the 1300's was a violent world. It has a lot of description of a Medieval village and castle, as well as some romance in it. I read 120 pages of the book in an hour, so it was a fun enough read.

A pair of Redwing Blackbirds on a Cable TV line. The male is on the right side of the picture, the female is to the left. Every Spring and Summer the redwing blackbird's cheery call brightens the day.

Here's hoping your world is a peaceful one, and a happy end of July to all my readers.

C.C. 7-28-2016