I have uploaded a new FM dial scan video featuring my local radio stations from Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, and Fredericksburg, VA. Click below to view the video.
You can find older dial scan videos from my area dating back to 2010, as well as other radio and TV DXing-related videos on my YouTube channel.
After realizing that my dial scan video on my Local FM Stations page was almost nine years old, I decided it was time to update the video, using my recently-acquired Sangean HDR-14. This video shows an accurate representation of signals received at my home without tropospheric enhancement.
The new video above from 2019 has been added to my Local FM Stations page. You can still find the old 2010 dial scan video and other radio and TV DXing-related videos on my YouTube channel.
There have been a lot of recent buzz in the DXing community about software-defined radios, otherwise known as SDRs. These radios, typically housed in a small USB thumbdrive-like units or small external hard drive-like enclosures without screens, can connect to your computer and can be used to DX multiple radio bands.
Recently Jim H., a DXer who lives in Stanardsville, VA, introduced me to the RTL-SDR USB dongle, which costs a whopping $9.95 on Amazon.com. I’ll admit, I was highly skeptical of this device’s capabilities due to its price and relatively unknown manufacturer. Coming from powerhouse DXing radios such as the Sony XDR-F1HD and Denon TU-1500RD, I was expected to be let down.
Unfortunately, I was kind of let down, although the novelty of having a computer-based tuner did amaze me.
There was a slight learning curve with using the RTL-SDR dongle. The device came with no software or instructions. It also came with a
I have added a new radio to my shack, a RTL-SDR radio, which looks much like a USB flash drive. This radio can record up to 15 FM frequencies at once, among many other neat features. I am awaiting delivery of some related accessories before I write a full review of the device. Look for the review in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, enjoy a YouTube video of me tuning in several local stations with the device:
I have made a new dial scan video showcasing the stations that can be tuned in the southern Washington, DC suburb of Woodbridge, VA via a Honda car radio equipped with RDS. The video more or less shows deadband conditions where no DX is present. I have an older dial scan video via the Sony XDR-F1HD radio here from 2010 that has DX reception up to 150 miles away and a DTV television dial scan here from 2013 with similar DX distances.
I posted a video on Youtube, embedded below, showing minor tropo enhancement into Richmond, VA, Charlottesville, VA, and Salisbury, MD. Ironically, some local Washington, DC stations only had subdecodes since my antenna was aimed away from the city. These stations typically decode regardless of antenna orientation.
This is an FM dial scan with the Sony XDR-F1HD radio in Woodbridge, VA. All of the Washington, DC area stations can be received, including some Baltimore and Philadelphia stations.
FM Radio DX 