Blog or Die!

I’ve listened to Canadian time station CHU for a very long time. I have a QSL card from 1967. That reception was from southern Alabama on 7335 kHz, a frequency that was later replaced with 7850, probably using my Lafayette Radio Electronics KT-340 and a 75-foot long wire antenna under the eaves of my house.

Here a photo of my setup from 1967 with the CHU QSL on the wall.

CHU ceased operation some time around 10:00 UTC today, June 22, 2026, but not without some “activity” on the 7850 kHz frequency on USB:

I only got bits of the transmission because my phone kept shutting off for over-temperature. It has references to “the original wiener bender,” “Dick Bulger” and “roast beef.”

I can’t say it’s incoming until I order it, and I can’t order it until it goes on sale, but when it does, I’ll be placing my order. No question.

I snagged that photo from a video from Andre on the SWL YouTube channel. He says it will employ an Si4735 DSP chip. From the photo we see both SSB and SYNC tuning modes and FM RDS. The photo also shows SW tuning range from 1711 to 30000 kHz, plus AIR band.

In this pre-release photo, the actual size of the radio seems rather small, clearly a shirt-pocket model. Reports also say that the radio will be available in multiple colors — probably not yellow, sigh.

The battery is an 18650. The tuning knob is on the right side next to what appears to be a USB-C charging port. There is also an alarm, and ATS scan feature (ATS button on the top).

Initial release in 2 months, first to the Chinese market?

Give it a listen!

I’m posting this to accumulate additional information about the MLite-880. It’s needed because unlike most radios where one buys them and learns how to use them more effectively over time, this one is receiving aggressive firmware updates.

So I’m going on vacation for a while, and of course I have to pick a radio to take along.

Tecsun PL-660

I was digging in the cabinet and came across the vinyl fold-over case for my Tecsun PL-660 and felt a spark of affection and for a brief moment I thought I might actually take it on the trip. Practicality reared its ugly head: the radio is heavy, I can’t charge the batteries in the radio itself thereby requiring a separate AA battery charger and ATS isn’t useful on this radio. It’s still a very nice radio that I should get out and use more.