[IRCA] First Anniversary of Ultralight Radio Boom-- November 20

[D1028Gary@xxxxxxx]

Hello Guys,
 
     With the Ultralight radio niche hobby now being  enjoyed throughout 
North America, Europe and many other areas of the world, some  enthusiasts may be 
curious how this whole craziness started.  It actually  started on November 
20, 2007 with some startling TP receptions on a humble  SRF-59, but was fueled 
by some amazing coincidences that gave the movement a  massive surge within 
just a month.
 
     On November 19, 2007, I was shopping for a  Christmas present to give my 
son, Danny, an introduction to the joys of AM-DXing  (which I experienced as 
a kid, with a transistor radio).  At the local  Fred Meyer store, I picked out 
an analog Sony Walkman, the SRF-59, which  looked a lot like the portables I 
used in the early 60's.  Upon returning  home to ensure the radio worked 
properly, I gave it a quick test on AM and  FM.  Everything worked OK--  but there 
was something very unusual  about the AM performance.  A tiny, cheap 
transistor portable like this  wasn't supposed to be receiving California stations 
around noontime here in  western Washington, 500 miles to the north.  This SRF-59 
was a real  shocker!  Feeling somewhat guilty, I asked Danny if Daddy could 
get him  another present instead of this one.  To my relief, he quickly  agreed.
 
     The daytime DX on this SRF-59 was astonishing, but  even more stunning 
was the complete freedom from image reception, and  almost complete freedom 
from spurious signals.  On an $18 portable?   What was going on here?  Why hadn't 
anyone else in the AM-DXing hobby  reported the outstanding performance of 
this tiny wonder?
 
     But the big shocker was yet to come.  Just  after local midnight on 
November 20, a couple of Japanese TP stations  (JOIB-747 and JOAK-594) made a 
decent appearance on this tiny SRF-59,  completely transforming my casual AM-DXing 
attitude.  This was  revolutionary!  Other AM-DXers had to experience this 
excitement.
 
     Upon getting up after reduced sleep (a common  malady affecting TP 
chasers), I excitedly attempted to send a report  of the new SRF-59's performance 
to the IRCA list reflector.   But probably due to lack of concentration, the 
email was sent to Colin  Newell (of DXer.Ca) instead.  This "mistake" was 
actually one of the major  reasons the Ultralight Radio boom got started, because 
Colin's support for the  ULR concept (and his encouragement of a formal SRF-59 
review) helped spread the  Boom throughout North America.
 
     A formal SRF-59 review posted on DXer.Ca caused  such a run on SRF-59's 
(in December) that even Amazon.com had trouble filling  orders at times.  To 
show appreciation for Colin's support, various free  SRF-59 samples were sent 
to Canadians, including one to Rob Ross, who used it to  log over 300 stations 
in 30 days in January.  In early December, the SRF-59  Boom was in full swing, 
and pocket radio DXing was catching on like  wildfire (with SRF-M37V's and 
DT-200VX units also popular).  Also in early  December, Kevin Schanilec 
suggested that we designate a name for this new form  of AM-DXing, and by consensus, 
Kevin's suggestion of "Ultralight Radio" was  chosen.  By late December, the 
Boom was the talk of AM-DXing circles, and  established DXer John Bryant was 
showing interest (along with many  others).  A new AM-DXing phenomena had begun, 
which with John's  organizational talents, became the established, exciting 
niche hobby that we  enjoy today. Thanks to all who contributed, and "Happy 
Birthday"  to all Ultralight Radio enthusiasts!
 
     73 and Best Wishes,
     Gary  DeBock         
 
       .   
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