On the Shortwave Podcast-Part 1

 

James Salmon from the BDXC news group has informed DXers of the following:

"Not sure if this has been posted before but have just read about a new(ish) programme about SW broadcasting - it's good! Thanks to Fred Moe for bringing this to our attention!"

Part one here - https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/articles/the-divided-dial-episode-1-fishing-in-the-night

Season Two of On the Media’s Peabody-winning series The Divided Dial is the untold story of shortwave radio: the way-less-listened to but way-farther-reaching cousin of AM and FM radio. The medium was once heralded as a utopian, international, and instantaneous mass communication tool — a sort of internet-before-the-internet. But like the internet, it also took a turn for the chaotic. And like AM and FM talk radio, it also went hard to the right, with extremists and cults still finding a home on the shortwaves 

 

EPISODE 1:

You know AM and FM radio. But did you know that there is a whole other world of radio surrounding us at all times? It’s called shortwave — and, thanks to a quirk of science that lets broadcasters bounce radio waves off of the ionosphere, it can reach thousands of miles, penetrating rough terrain and geopolitical boundaries. How did this instantaneous, global, mass communication tool — a sort of internet-before-the-internet — go from a utopian experiment in international connection to a hardened tool of information warfare and propaganda?

 

Starts with Katie Thornton visiting David Goren and tuning around shortwave, then a history of radio broadcasting from it's inception and the start of shortwave broadcasting right through to 1980's concentrating on US broadcasting. Lots of audio snippets of US shortwave broadcasters and shortwave stations targeting the US, the WW2 and Cold War sections I found particularly well covered.

 

Available for streaming or download at

 

https://www.itskatiethornton.com/divided-dial

 (Mike Barraclough, UK/BDXC)

Pop Shop Radio, May schedules

 

In addition to our regular mix of hits, misses, and everything in between, here's a list of upcoming Pop Shop Radio specials

14 May to 19 May: Salute to Eurovision 1975: complete with classic interval signals and IDs from broadcasters of the participating countries

11 June to 16 June: British Beat before the Beatles: 1950s British pop.

Times and frequencies:

WRMI

0100 UT Monday (9 PM ET Sunday) 5950 khz

0300 UT Monday (8 PM PT Sunday) 3955 khz (subject to change)

Channel 292

1600 UT Wednesday 3955 and 9670 khz

2200 UT Saturday 3955 and 9670 khz 

Shortwave Gold

1300 UT Saturday 6160 khz

1900 UT Sunday 3975 khz

Tony Pavick

Pop Shop Radio

Hope BC Canada

Afghanistan reactivates on mediumwave

 

Afghanistan    

The mediumwave transmitter at Kandahar has been reactivated on 864 kHz according to various reports. Radio 'Voice of Sharia' is being set up in a border province to "prevent propaganda by enemies" the RTA director stated at its inauguration.

(BBC monitoring 9 April; via <mediumwavfe.info>  via 'Communication' magazine May 2025; BrDXC-UK groups io)

Read additional information at: 

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/taliban-rename-radio-station-voice-sharia-capture-kandahar-afghanistan/

Ffrom archive:  Taliban change the Radio Afghanistan name to 'Voice of Sharia'.Taliban take over radio station 

Here in India, we catch the 6100 kHz. But it is inactive. But news sources said they are broadcasting only on FM. They stopped to play the film songs. In the meantime Radio Afghanistan official website was also

under construction. More details are awaited from the monitoring people.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/taliban-take-over-radio-station-after-capturing-kandahar/articleshow/85321788.cms

https://www.news18.com/news/world/taliban-take-over-radio-station-inkandahar-renames-it-voice-of-sharia-no-more-music-likely-4084781.html

https://nypost.com/2021/08/14/taliban-take-over-radio-station-after-capturing-afghan-city-kandahar/

https://www.opindia.com/2021/08/taliban-captures-tv-radio-stationsafghanistan-broadcast-threats-voice-of-shariah/

(Jaisakthivel, Ardic DXC, Chennai-IND, HCDX Aug 15, 2021 )

(WWDXC-Top News 1617/10 May 2025)

Radio Romania International schedule updates

 

Radio Romania Intl QSL

Radio Romania has changed many of its frequencies again. According to their website, this is because of a malfunction at the Tiganesti site:

"A malfunction has been recorded at one of the transmitters in Tiganesti, and we will temporarily be broadcasting on different frequencies." (dated 4 May 2025) The German section adds that the replacement transmitter is not capable of transmitting in DRM mode, while the Spanish section identifies the malfunctioning transmitter as BD 300-2 and the replacement transmitter as BD 300-1.

The new frequencies had been registered with HFCC from the beginning of the A-25 season but had been unused so far. The same had happened for parts of the previous season.

English broadcasts:

Western Europe

0530-0600 9750

1100-1200 17630

1700-1800 15180

2030-2100 17580

2200-2300 9740

Africa

1100-1200 17860

North America, East coast

2030-2100 17580

0000-0100 9550

North America, West coast

0300-0400 11620

Japan

2200-2300 15170

Note: No DRM, none of the registered frequencies for Australia are currently in use

GERMAN

0600-0630 11620

1400-1500 13740

1800-1900 11750

SPANISH to South America (no mention of other targets, not affected?)

2200-2300 15200 (new time!)

The websites of other language services did not show this notice, but may just as well be affected.

73!

Eike

(Eiki Bierwirth HCDX)

(BDXC)

Weekly Propagation Forecast Bulletins

 Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts

:Issued: 2025 May 12 0245 UTC

# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center

# Product description and SWPC web contact www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/subscription-services

#

#                Weekly Highlights and Forecasts

#

Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 05 - 11 May 2025

Solar activity reached moderate levels in the final minutes of 11 May following an M-class event that peaked after the turn of the UT day. Solar activty was low the remainder of the time (05-10 May) leading up to that event. Region 4079 (N08, L=240, class/area=Ekc/1250 on 06 May) was responsible for what ended up being an M1.9 flare that peaked at 12/0001 UTC. This region was also responsible for 54 C-class events during the week, most of which were sub C5 level. Region 4082 (S11, L=180, class/area=Dac/140 on 06 May) contributed a pair of C7.0 flares at 08/1141 and 08/1500 UTC respectively, as well as several other low level C-class flares. No significant Earth-directed CMEs were noted during the period. 

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at high levels on 06-09 May, and moderate levels on 10-11 May. 

Geomagnetic field activity was at quiet to unsettled levels on 07 May, quiet to active levels on 06 and 08-10 May, and active to minor storm levels on 05 and 11 May. The increased activity was likely associated with negative polarity CH HSS influence. 

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 12 May - 07 June 2025

Solar activity is expected to be predominantly low through the outlook period, with varying chances for M-class flare activity. 

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at moderate levels from 06-28 May and again on 06-07 Jun. High levels are expected from 29 May to 05 Jun as CH HSS influences increase during this time. 

Geomagnetic field activity is anticipated to reach minor storm levels on 28 May - 01 Jun under negative polarity CH HSS influences. Active levels are likely on 13 May, and again on 02 Jun and 06 Jun. Mostly unsettled levels are likely on 12, 14, and 18-21 May, as well as 02 and 05 Jun. Quiet levels are expected on 15-17, and 22-26 May. 

:Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt

:Issued: 2025 May 12 0245 UTC

# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center

# Product description and SWPC web contact www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/subscription-services

#

#      27-day Space Weather Outlook Table

#                Issued 2025-05-12

#

#   UTC      Radio Flux   Planetary   Largest

#  Date       10.7 cm      A Index    Kp Index

2025 May 12     125           8          5

2025 May 13     120          12          4

2025 May 14     120          10          3

2025 May 15     115           5          2

2025 May 16     115           5          2

2025 May 17     115           5          2

2025 May 18     115           8          3

2025 May 19     120          10          4

2025 May 20     125           8          3

2025 May 21     125           8          3

2025 May 22     125           6          2

2025 May 23     130           6          2

2025 May 24     130           6          2

2025 May 25     130           5          2

2025 May 26     135           5          2

2025 May 27     140           8          3

2025 May 28     140          25          5

2025 May 29     140          30          5

2025 May 30     140          20          5

2025 May 31     140          20          5

2025 Jun 01     145          20          5

2025 Jun 02     145          12          4

2025 Jun 03     145           8          3

2025 Jun 04     145          10          4

2025 Jun 05     140          12          4

2025 Jun 06     130          10          4

2025 Jun 07     125          10          4

(NOAA)

Mother's Day special program from Unique Radio Australia

 

For Sunday May 11th Mother's Day Past, Present, Future  & Part 2 The Mothers and Daughters of the Real Deal. 18-22plus.

The show is dedicated to My Mom and all the Moms, Past, Present Future. On Unique Radio Australia, Live Stream.

http://uk4-vn.mixstream.net:8104/index.html

In two parts first my traditional & non traditional music, all forms, then my all Real Deal a La Fem.

The mothers who influenced the daughters to make their brand of "noise" then the daughters of real deal R & R, girl groups and other yummy up Rock-in bands through to the new She-Punk artists.

Plus our live chat room is open for you in

https://libera.chat/

click on connect, then web chat Please put in the following:

For nick: name or like me radionutresss

Then next line channel, that's the following:

#eyeradiojd

and you are in the room.

For correspondence please use the email address,

JenUR@proton.me

Jen in The (Suffragette) Rad.

Happy Mother's Day

For The Past, Present, & Future MOMS.

73" 33"

& 88''s

to all

Annual Armed Forces Day Crossband Test on May 10, 2025.

 

The event will test two-way communications between military stations and amateur radio operators as authorized by the Federal Communications Commission in Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations 47 CFR 97.111. The tests provide opportunities — and challenges — for operators to test their individual technical skills in a controlled scenario that will not impact public or private communications. The annual DOD message will be transmitted via RTTY mode on 14,667 kHz at 1400 and 2000 UTC.

Military stations will transmit on selected military frequencies and announce the specific amateur radio service frequencies that will be monitored. All scheduled times will be in UTC, and all scheduled frequencies will be upper sideband (USB), unless otherwise noted. For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part in this event. Information on frequencies, times, and other technical information can be found at DoD MARS - Armed Forces Day.

A QSL card will be available in May after the test at www.usarmymars.org/home

(WWDXC Top Nx 21 Apr 2025)

May programming of From the Isle of Music

 

Yeisy Rojas

May's program will feature music from two Cuban artists in Scandinavia, Yeisy Rojas in Norway and Eliel Lazo in Denmark. 

Friday, May 9: 

6070 kHz at 1700 UTC 

3955 at 2100 UTC 

Sunday, May 11: 

9670 kHz at 1700 UTC using beam E (repeat of May 9 episode.) 

  

In addition to direct radio reception, we do honor reception reports using remote SDRs as long as the whole program is described, and which SDR is specified

(Bill Tilford/Tilford Productions)

(Photo/Latin Jazz Network)

Vatican Radio Prepares for the Conclave

 

On Wednesday, May 7, Vatican Radio will be again on short wave for some special programs on the following schedule:

0755-0945 UTC. Holy Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff. in English on 17540, French on 17520 and Portuguese on 15585 kHz

1410-1545 UTC. Entras of the Cardinals into the Conclave. in English on 17540, French on 17520 and Portuguese on 17500 kHz.

Christian Ghibaudo, France/BDXC) 

(photo by Yahoo)

Wavescan features the LORAN system of World War II

 Thank you to Ray Robinson and Jeff White for sharing this week's interesting feature on the LORAN system.

LORAN

Jeff:  Back in March, we received an email from Wavescan listener Fred Waterer who forwarded an article by Eric Blunt in Port Weller, Ontario, Canada about a Mrs. Marian McKnight who had just celebrated her 100th birthday, and who had served as a WREN in World War II at a remote top secret LORAN base on the coast of Nova Scotia.  Not familiar with LORAN?  Ray Robinson in Los Angeles has been finding out more.

Ray:  Thanks, Jeff.

LORAN/Wikipedia

So first, what was LORAN?  Well, it stood for Long Range Navigation, and was a top-secret system developed in the United States, which allowed ships and aircraft to pinpoint their positions at ranges of up to 1,500 miles, or 2,400 km, from land.  It was first used for ship convoys crossing the North Atlantic, and then by long-range patrol aircraft, but it was also eventually used extensively by ships and aircraft operating in the Pacific theater during World War II.

The concept of the system was to allow a vessel or aircraft to determine its position in all weathers and at great distances from shore.  A radio wave is sent from a master station and is received both by the ship or plane and by a slave station on a different part of the coast.  On receipt of the pulse, the slave station then sends out another pulse, which is also received by the vessel or plane.  The LORAN receiver on the ship or plane measures electronically the difference in time of arrival of the radio waves from the ground stations, and then using LORAN charts for the area served by the ground stations, a line of position can be determined from the time difference.  A second line of position is determined from another pair of stations.  The intersection of the two lines provides a fix.  The system also allowed the ships and aircraft using it to maintain radio silence.

The original system, also known as LORAN-A, used two frequencies in the Marine Band, above the AM Broadcast Band, at 1850 and 1950 kHz.  These frequencies were also within the Amateur 160 metre band, and amateur operators were under strict rules to operate at reduced power levels to avoid interference, especially near the North American seaboards.  Depending on their location and distance to the shore, U.S. operators were limited to maximums of 200 to 500 watts during the day and 50 to 200 watts at night.

Because of this choice of frequencies, signals could be reflected by the ionosphere at night, and thus provide over-the-horizon operation.

Originally developed by the MIT Radiation Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts for the United States Navy, in mid-1942 the project was also joined by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy.  The Canadian liaison was required, because the ideal siting for the land-based stations to cover shipping and aircraft in the North Atlantic was along the coasts of the Canadian Maritime Provinces.

LORAN/Wikipedia

One site in Nova Scotia proved to be a battle; the site was owned by a fisherman whose domineering teetotaler wife was dead set against having anything to do with the sinful Navy men.  When the site selection committee was discussing the matter with the husband, a third visitor arrived and he offered the men cigarettes.  They refused, and the hostess then asked if they drank.  When they said they did not, the land was quickly secured!

The first locations went live in June 1942 at Montauk Point, New York and Fenwick Island, Delaware, but they were soon joined by two stations in Newfoundland at Bonavista and Battle Harbour, and then by two more stations in Nova Scotia at Baccaro and Deming Island.

Additional stations all along the U.S. and Canadian east coast were installed through October, and the system was declared fully operational on January 1, 1943, at which time, authority over the system was transferred from MIT to the U.S. Navy.  Two more frequencies were brought into use, at 1750 and 1900 kHz.  By the end of 1943 additional stations had been installed in Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and the Hebrides, offering continuous coverage across the North Atlantic.

So now we come to the article by Eric Blunt, forwarded to us by Fred Waterer.  Eric wrote:

“Mrs McKnight is 100 years old today (that was on March 11, 2025).  Some people we know may have had experiences we had no way of ever imagining.  I knew she was in the WRENs.  She never hid that and was very proud of it.  But the details she never shared.  Of course she was sworn to secrecy under the Official Secrets Act. While never enforced, the penalty for treason for most of her life was death.  So her reticence is understandable.  I knew her as a sweet and caring kindergarten teacher. Who knew she was also a badass explosives trained soldier!

Growing up, Marian McKnight was fascinated by stories of the sea.  When the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service, nicknamed the WRENs, opened in 1942, Marian knew this was her calling.  Her family and boyfriend thought otherwise, actively discouraging her.  But this negativity culminated in her going on to become the first girl from her graduating class to enlist in the military, and her determination was likely a deciding factor in her being selected to serve at an extremely remote station in Baccaro, Nova Scotia.  Taking an oath of secrecy and undergoing a thorough background check, she was among 16 women responsible for maintaining the top secret LORAN system at that location.

Maintaining the LORAN transmitter was not easy.  Working in shifts of four, the WRENs had to ensure that their signal was synchronized with two other LORAN stations, one Canadian and one American.  Marian told me the frustration of when the LORAN system went out of sync and the scramble to fix it, leaving any ship or plane using it in the dark as precious seconds ticked away.  This had to be kept running 24 hours a day.

One night two German U-boats were detected half a mile from their station.  It was a tense 48 hours before the two U-boats slipped away.  If the U-boats had landed, the women were instructed to detonate explosives underneath their machines “and run like hell.”  The women were also armed, but were terrified to use the supplied rifles.  Under no circumstances could the LORAN system fall into enemy hands.  The WRENs of Baccaro hold the unusual distinction of being the women closest to enemy forces on Canadian soil during the war.

Recently the British government awarded Marian the Bletchley Park Commemorative Badge, given to veterans who served at top secret stations across Britain and Canada.

Thanks, Fred, for forwarding that very interesting article

Marian McKnight is holding the Bletchley Park Commemorative Badge, which was awarded to her by the British Government.

The enormous distances and lack of useful navigation points in the Pacific Ocean led to widespread use of LORAN for both ships and aircraft during the Pacific War.  In particular, the accuracy offered by LORAN allowed aircraft to reduce the amount of extra fuel they would otherwise have to carry to ensure they could find their base after a long mission.  This reduced fuel load allowed the bombload to be increased.  By the end of World War II there were 72 LORAN stations, with over 75,000 receivers in use.

 Back to you, Jeff.

Weekly Propagation Forecast Bulletins, May 5, 2025

 Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts

:Issued: 2025 May 05 0116 UTC

# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center

# Product description and SWPC web contact www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/subscription-services

#

#                Weekly Highlights and Forecasts

#

Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 28 April - 04 May 2025

Solar activity reached moderate levels on 29 and 30 Apr due to M-Class flare activity. Region 4078 (N16, L=009, class/area=Cro/20 on 29 Apr) produced an M1.3/1N flare at 29/1002 UTC and an M1.6/1N flare at 29/1057 UTC. Region 4079 (N07, L=242, class/area=Ekc/1210 on 02 May) produced an M1.7 flare at 29/0513 UTC and an M2.0 flare at 30/0751 UTC, the largest of the period. Low levels were obsereved throughout the remainder of the period. No Earth-directed CME resulted from this week&#39;s flare activity. 

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at moderate levels on 28 Apr - 01 May, and reached high levels on 02-04 May. 

Geomagnetic field activity was at quiet to unsettled levels on 28-29 Apr. Activity increased to active levels on 30 Apr, and reached G1 (Minor) levels on 01-05 May due to negative polarity coronal hole influence. 

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 05 May - 31 May 2025

Solar activity is expected to be predominantly low through the outlook period, with a varying chance for M-class flare activity. 

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is likely to reach high levels from 05-12 May and 29-31 May. Normal to moderate levels are expected from 13-28 May. 

Geomagnetic field activity is likely to reach G1 (Minor) storm levels on 18 May and 29-31 May due to negative polarity coronal hole influence. Periods of active conditions are likely on 05-06 May, 09-11 May, 16-17 May, 19-21 May, and 27 May in response to CH HSS incluences. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected to prevail throughout the remainder of the period. 

Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt

:Issued: 2025 May 05 0116 UTC

# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center

# Product description and SWPC web contact www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/subscription-services

#

#      27-day Space Weather Outlook Table

#                Issued 2025-05-05

#

#   UTC      Radio Flux   Planetary   Largest

#  Date       10.7 cm      A Index    Kp Index

2025 May 05     160          18          5

2025 May 06     160          12          4

2025 May 07     160           6          2

2025 May 08     160           6          2

2025 May 09     165          15          4

2025 May 10     165          12          4

2025 May 11     165          10          3

2025 May 12     160           5          2

2025 May 13     155           5          2

2025 May 14     155           5          2

2025 May 15     155           5          2

2025 May 16     155          12          4

2025 May 17     155          12          4

2025 May 18     155          25          5

2025 May 19     155          10          3

2025 May 20     155           8          3

2025 May 21     160           8          3

2025 May 22     160           6          2

2025 May 23     160           6          2

2025 May 24     155           6          2

2025 May 25     155           5          2

2025 May 26     150           5          2

2025 May 27     150           8          3

2025 May 28     150          25          5

2025 May 29     150          30          5

2025 May 30     150          20          5

2025 May 31     155          20          5

(NOAA)

Revised WRMI Summer Schedule from 03 May 2025

 

WRMI - Summer frequency schedule - Updated 03 May 2025 from the previous 23 April version 

The current summer color grid, which includes programming information, is available at: 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pcIEX8kisrOPqlXHDAq6gympKUgDj0SIb96qce2kGGQ/edit?gid=0#gid=0

All times UTC

Programming in English, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Spanish

0000-0100   5010ca  5050na  5800la  5850na  5950na  9455na  15770eu

0100-0200   5050la  5800la    58050na  5950na  7570na  7780ca  9455ma  15770eu

0200-0300   5010ca  5050la  5800la  5950na  7780ca  9455na  9955sa  15770eu

0300-0400   5010ca  5050la  5800la  5850na  5950na  9455na  9955sa  15770eu

0400-0500   5850na  7570na  7730na  9395na  9955sa  15770eu

0500-0600   5850na  7570na  7730na  9395na  9955sa  15770eu

0600-0700   5850na  7570na  7730na  9395na  9955sa  15770eu

0700-0800   5850na  7570na  7730na  9395na  9955sa  15770eu

0800-0900   7730na  9395na  9955sa  15770eu

0900-1000   7570na  7730na  9395na  15770eu

1000-1100   7570na  7730na  9395na  15770eu

1100-1200   5850na  7570na  7730na  9395na

1200-1300  7570na  7730na  9395na  15770eu

1300-1400   5850na  7570na  7730na  9395na

1400-1500   5850na  7570na  7730na  9395na  15770eu

1500-1600   7570na  7730na  9395na  9955sa  17790la

1600-1700   8570na  9395na  17790la

1700-1800   7570na  9395na  15770eu  17790la

1800-1900   7570na  7730na  9395na  15770eu  17790la

1900-2000   7570na  7730na  9395na  17790la

2000-2100   7570na  9395na  17790la

2100-2200   7570na  7730na

2200-2300   5850na  7570na  7730na  15770eu

2300-0000  5800la  5850na  5950na  7570na  7730na  9455na  15770eu

 

Target Areas:

ca  Central America

eu  Europe

la  Latin America

na  North America

sa  South America

WRMI website:  http://wrmi.net/

Reception Reports: info@wrmi.net 

Rapid E-QSL: Send a reception report and receive an immediate e-QSL to: wrmiqsl@gmail.com

(GVH/Teak Publishing)

Dance-a-Round Special on May 4 from Unique Radio Australia

 

Jen's show for Sunday, May 4th, A Dance-a-Round Special, all genres on Unique. Radio Australia

18-21plus Jen's All forms of music to Dance the day or night away. R&R, Jazzy, Funky, Electro, Folky & worldly and whatever my Feet think of Hi.

Live Stream

http://uk4-vn.mixstream.net:8104/index.html

JenUR@proton.me

Jen In The Rad.

Encore classical music, from Radio Tumbril

 

Regular Broadcast times of Encore By WRMI and Channel 292 are:

02:00 - 03:00 UTC Friday 5850 kHz WRMI to US

20:00 - 21:00 UTC Friday 15770 kHz WRMI to Europe

10:00 - 11:00 UTC Saturday 9670 kHz Channel 292 to Europe

01:00 - 02:00 UTC Sunday 5850 kHz WRMI to US and Canada

19:00 - 20:00 UTC Sunday 3955 kHz Channel 292 to Europe

03:00 - 04:00 UTC Monday 5950 kHz WRMI to the US and Canada

13:00 - 14:00 UTC Tuesday 15770 kHz WRMI to Europe, east coast of US and Iceland. (Sometimes RTTY on the lower sideband. Suggest notch out or use USB.)

 

Some Things to see on The Encore Website:

The Encore website is www.tumbril.co.uk where you will find:

Important information about funding of Encore - Radio Tumbril.

Up to date transmission times and frequencies.

The playlists for the most recent programmes.

An email link.

Informal reception reports as well as those requesting eQSL cards are welcome.

 

ENCORE IS A ONE-MAN OPERATION -  PLEASE MAKE A PAYPAL DONATION AND HELP KEEP ENCORE ON THE AIR - Go to - www.tumbril.co.uk

 

WRMI and Channel 292 are very generous with their air-time but Encore still costs around 100 Dollars/Euros a month to broadcast.

If you can - please send a small contribution to help Encore keep going.

 

THE DONATION BUTTON is on the homepage of the website - www.tumbril.co.uk - which folks can use if they would like to support Encore.

 

(Please don't be put off by the POWR security wall when using the PAYPAL button - it is a harmless requirement of WIX the website hosting service.)

 

THIS FORTNIGHT'S PROGRAMME - First broadcast this FRIDAY 2nd May by WRMI at 0200 UTC on 5850, and 2000 UTC on 15770 and then Channel 292 on SATURDAY 3rd May at 10:00 UTC on 9670 kHz:

 

Starts with the overture from The Barber of Seville by Rossini. After that part of a cello sonata by Martinü and a piano piece from contemporary composer Caroline Shaw.

A mass for five voices by Byrd, Part of a Haydn symphony- No. 84 in E-Flat Major - and a Bach partita are next.

The Programme ends with the third movement from the Octet in C Major by Romanian composer Enescu.

  

Brice Avery - Encore - Radio Tumbril - www.tumbril.co.uk 

GMØTLY

May programming from Texas Radio Shortwave

 

The month of May, brings listeners the music of the Josh Abbott Band

Date (UTC) Time (UTC) Freq (kHz) Target

May 3 1500 6070 Eur

May 4 0100 9670 NAm

1200 9670 Eur

2300 9670 NAm

This schedule is subject to change based on propagation conditions and listener requests for specific Texas artists or music genres.

Texas Radio Shortwave is an independent producer of musical and topical shows, usually about Texas.

Programs for Europe (Eur) and beyond are transmitted on Channel 292 in Rohrbach, Germany, with 10 kW into an omnidirectional antenna.

Programs for North America (NAm) and beyond are transmitted on Channel 292 with 10 kW into a 10.5 dB gain beam antenna.

Texas Radio Shortwave uses a version of The Yellow Rose of Texas as its Interval Signal/Signature Song.

May 2025 QSL from Texas Radio Shortwave

Texas Radio Shortwave verifies correct, detailed reception reports by electronic QSL. This includes reports from listeners using remote receivers (SDRs). Texas Radio Shortwave's email is texasradioshortwave@protonmail.com.

Many TRSW programs are archived at www.mixcloud.com/texasradiosw.

Texas Radio Shortwave's Facebook page is www.facebook.com/texasradiosw.

Texas Radio Shortwave's Listeners' Group Facebook page is www.facebook.com/groups/580199276066655/.

QSL Report 2.0-May 2025

 

                                    Bringing the latest in QSLing from across the globe

Welcome to the May edition of QSL Report 2.0! Thank you for your comments and contributions.

QSL Report 2.0 is a revival of my former QSL Report column in Monitoring Times magazine. Each issue brings you updates on QSLing trends—what worked (and what didn’t), along with special event QSLs and stations verified across amateur radio, mediumwave, pirate, shortwave, and utility bands. If you’ve received a QSL from any of these stations, share your results with the world!

Send your contributions to w4gvhla@gmail.com

Euro Free Radio

1512, Radio Kameleon. No-data e-QSL in two days, for e-report to remarlakservice@kpnmail.nl (Roberto Pavanello, Italy/DX Fanzine).

1539, Kleine Cowboy. Returned prepared postcard QSL as verified in 11 days. Postal report to: GW VD Meulen, Rustenburgsweg 60, 8096 AC Oldebrork, Netherlands (Jouke van der Galien, Netherlands/BDXC)

3905, Radio Alice. E-QSL received in four days, for e-report to radioalice@hotmail.com (Galien) 

6205, Radio West Finland. E-QSL received in nine days, for e-report to radiowestfinland@protonmail.com (Galien).

6220, Radio Tidal Wave. E-QSL in 11 days for e-report to radiotidalwave@hotmail.com (Galien).

6260, Radio Intersound International. Full data e-QSL in 18 days for e-report to radiointersound@outlook.com (Juan Carlos Pérez Montero, Spain/DX Fanzine/FB QSL)

6275, Radio Merlin International. Full data e-QSL in 16 days, for e-report to radiomerlin@blueyonder.co.uk. Heard station via Kiwi Tremolar, France (Montero).

6310, Flux AM. Full data e-QSL in one hour, for e-report to fluxam@hotmail.com (Edward Kusalik, Canada/DX Fanzine).

6385, Radio Blackstone via Netherlands. Full data e-QSL received in 166 days for e-report to radioblackstone@outlook.com (Galien) 

6945, Enterprise Radio. Full data e-QSL in one day, for e-report to enterpriseradio@hotmail.com (Galien).

South American Free Radio

7550, Radio Ameixinha. Full data e-QSL in three days, for e-report to radioameixinha@gmail.com Station is a Brazilian pirate, heard on Kiwi SDR near Vinhedo, Brazil. (Montero) 

Mediumwave

Bonaire

800, Trans World Radio. Full data e-QSL in three days, for e-report to 800am@twr.org Heard this station via Kiwi SDR Ft Lauderdale, FL. (Christian Ghibaudo, France/DX Fanzine)

Dominican Republic

1430, Radio Emanuel. No-data email response in 13 minutes from Juan Taveras, Director de Progamación. E-report to radiomanuel1430@gmail.com (Miguel Angel Rocha Gamez, Mexico/DX Fanzine/FB QSL).

Gibraltar

1458, GBC Radio Gibraltar Plus. Full data e-QSL in nine days from Kathy Sanchez, Broadcast Assistant. E-report to info@gbc.gi (Pradip Chandra Kunda, India/IDXCI).

United States

820, WBAP Ft. Worth, Texas. Full data e-QSL in seven days, for e-report to duane.sedge@cumulus.com (Rod Pearson, St Augustine, FL) .

Shortwave

Australia

11945, Reach Beyond Australia via Kununurra. Full data color scenery e-QSL. Received in 12 days for e-report to radio@reachbeyond.org (Frank Hilton, Charleston, SC) 

15320, Full data color e-QSL for RBA. Received in seven days for e-report to (same email) (Benjamin Clement, Seattle, WA)

Bulgaria

9790, Radio Taiwan International relay via Sofia. Full data color QSL card received by postal mail, for e-report to rus@rti.co.tw (Rumen  Pankov, Bulgaria/BDXC)

Brazil

15190, Rádio Inconfidencia. Full data e-QSL in 20 days for Portuguese e-report to gleisonferreira@inconfidencia.com.br (Pankov).

11780, Rádio Nacional da Amazônia. Full data e-QSL in two days, for e-report to ouvidoria@ebc.com.br (Hillton).

Eswatini

15105, Trans World Radio. Full data e-QSL in seven days, from Lorraine Stavropoulos. E-report to lstavrop@twr.org (Pearson).

Germany

5935, Bible Voice Broadcasting via Nauen relay. Full data color e-QSL in seven days, for e-report to mail@bvbroadcasting.org (Clement)

6070, Texas Radio Shortwave via Rohrbach relay. Full data color e-QSL in four hours, for e-report to texasradioshortwave@protonmail.com (Ghibaudo).

6160, Pop Shop Radio via Winsen relay. Full data e-QSL in six hours, for e-report to radiopopshop@gmail.com (Ghibaudo).

9670, Atlantic 2000 International via Rohrbach Waal. Full data e-QSL in three days, for e-report to atlantic2000international@gmail.com (Pearson).

Guam

15255, KSDA Adventist World Radio. Full-data color e-QSL in four days, for e-report to qsl@awr.org (Pearson).

India

9875, Askashvani via Bengaluru. Full data color card signed with initials. Received by postal mail for e-report to spectrum-manager@prasarbharati.gov.in (Sam Wright, Biloxi, MS).

Iran

11710, VOIRI/Voice of Islamic Rep. of Iran. Full data e-QSL in 20 days, for e-report to radiotehran1982@gmail.com (Pearson).

VOI QSL

Indonesia

3325, Voice of Indonesia via Palangkarya. Full data e-QSL in six months for e-report to voilisteners@gmail.com (Hilton) Frank included, “I have not heard VOI on 3325 kilohertz for some time.”

Madagascar

9885, Madagascar World Voice. Full data QSL card, received via postal mail in 100 days, for e-report to mwvradio@gmail.com (Pearson).

Mexico

6185, Radio Educación. Full data color e-QSL in 56 days, for Spanish e-report to contactore@cultura.gob.mx (Clement). Listen to this station 2200-1200 UTC.

Moldova

12160, Vesti FM, E-QSL received in two days for e-report to prtc@idknet.com (Ghibaudo)

Netherlands

7405, Radio Piepzender. Full data e-QSL received in 190 days, for e-report to radioqsl@hotmail.com (Galien) Radio Piezender, a former Euro pirate, has acquired a legal license to broadcast. Dutch programming from Zwolle, Netherlands, on Sat/Sun 5990 and 7405; 0700-1400 UTC

Radio Delta QSL

9800, Radio Delta. Full data e-QSL in six days, for e-report to info@radiodelta.am (Van Horn, LA)

New Zealand

13755, Radio NZ Pacific. Full data color e-QSL in three days for e-report posted at www.rnz.co.nz/international/qsl/new (Pearson).

Palau

9965, Hope Radio. Full data e-QSL in seven days, for e-report to contact@hoperadio.net (Clement).

Spain

9690, Radio Exterior de Espana. Full data e-QSL in 15 days, for e-report to secretariatecnica.ree@rtve.es (Pearson).

RTI QSL

Taiwan

9405, Radio Taiwan International. Full data color QSL received by postal mail in 25 days. E-report to rti@rti.org.tw (Van Horn).

Thailand

7475, Radio Thailand. Full data color e-QSL in three days, for e-report to rthworldservice@gmail.com (Wright).

Turkey

9495, Voice of Turkey. Full data color e-QSL in 35 days, for e-report to tsr@trt.net.tr (Clement).

Gaweylon Tibetan Radio QSL

United Arab Emirates

15215, Gaweylon Tibetan Radio via Dhabbayah. Full data e-QSL in two days for e-report to gaweylon@gmail.com (Ghibaudo).

United Kingdom

6040/15265 KBS World Radio, South Korea via Woofferton, UK relay. Twelve QSLs received by postal mail in 434 days, for Russian reports to rus@kbs.co.kr (Pankov).

United States

7780, Voice of Indonesia relay via WRMI. Full data color e-QSL in four months from Ani H. Murabak/VOI. E-report to voilistener@gmail.com (Kundu).

15770, Mighty KBC via WRMI. Full data e-QSL in three days for e-report to themightykbc@gmail.com (Phil Hayward, UK/BDXC)

Blog Logs-May 2025

 

Welcome to the May issue of Blog Logs. Thank you for your emails, your logging contributions, and following the latest daily tweets on X at Shortwave Central (Gayle Van Horn W4GVH)

@QSLRptMT

Have you subscribed to the Shortwave Central YouTube channel? You will find a vast selection 

of videos and audio airchecks, and the PlayList is growing! Join your fellow radio enthusiasts at: https://www.youtube.com/c/ShortwaveCentral 

The Shortwave Central blog, brings you the latest from the ever-changing realm of radio. Additional radio information is covered in my Bits & Bytes monthly column in The Spectrum Monitor e-zine at: https://www.thespectrummonitor.com/

Languages as indicated

// denotes station heard on a parallel frequency

*Sign-on Sign-Off*/ frequencies in kHz

Monitoring April 2-April 29, 2025 

All times UTC

Mediumwave

Argentina

1550, Radio Chivilcoy. 0118. Spanish programming with announcer’s talk and local announcements to Argentine music. SINPO 14421 (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo, Brazil).

Brazil (Portuguese)

750, Rádio CBN Vale, Sáo dos Campos, SP, 2140. Station identification to the newscast and CBN station jingle. SINPO 25442 (Grimm, Brazil)

760, Rádio Manchete, Rio de Janeiro at 2149. Brazilian pagoda style to station jingle. SINPO 35553 (Grimm, Brazil).

0880, Rádio Inconfidencia, Belo Horizonte, MG at 2158. Male announcer’s talk to  “ãRádio Inconfidencia” identification, followed by “A Voz do Brasil.” SINPO 35553 (Grimm, Brazil).

970, Rádio Piratininga, Sáo Joã da Boa Vista, SP at 2120. Announcer’s comments to station ID. SINPO 23422. QRM from Rádio Difusora, Marechal Candido Rondon, PR (Grimm, Brazil).

970, Rádio Difusora Candido Rondon, PR at 2132. Brazilian songs of sertanejo style. SINPO 23432. (Grimm, Brazil).

1230, Rádio Atual, São Paulo, SP at 2209/ Relaying programming from 94.1 FM, São Paulo. A very poor signal SINPO 24422 (Grimm, Brazil).

1410, Rádio Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa, RS 0220. Brazilian music to local time and temperature check. Station ID to program Selecão sertaneja. SINPO 25442 (Grimm, Brazil)

1420,  Rádio, Florianópolis. 0225. Relaying Rádio Bandeirantes, São Paulo. Sports News segment. SINPO 35443 (Grimm, Brazil).

1460, Rádio Campinas, Campinas do Sul, RS at 0230. Relaying Rede Gaucha with sports news. SINPO 15442. (Grimm, Brazil).

1470, Rádio Absoluta, Campo dos Goytacazes, RJ at 2152. ‘Resumo esportivo, pela Rádio Absolute,” to sports news. SINPO 35543 (Grimm, Brazil).

1530, Rádio Sulina, Dom Pedrito, RS at 0212. Brazilian song-Leonardo ‘Eu aprendi dizer  Station ID into music by Queen. SINPO 15421 (Grimm, Brazil).

Paraguay

1330, Radio Chaco Boreal, Asunción. Spanish talks about “embarcaciones, Paraguay, transporte, Prefectura.” QRM from 1339 Radio Iguatemi, São Paulo, SP. SINPO 23542 (Grimm, Brazil).

Uruguay

1590, Radio Lascano. Spanish programming at 0130. Commentary to Spanish pop music. SINPO 25422 (Grimm, Brazil).

1510, Radio Rincón, Fray Bentos. Spanish vocals and romantic ballads. SINPO 15321 (Grimm, Brazil).

United States

700, WLW Cincinnati, OH. Afternoon baseball scores and info from the Inside Pitch sports program. Local ads, station ID, and jingles. Home of the Reds promo to the local 6:00 PM newscast. YT video: https://youtu.be/P8dNbbluLzo (Gayle Van Horn, LA/Airspy HF+Discovery)

Shortwave

Brazil (Portuguese)

6010, Rádio Inconfidencia at 2115-2137. Soccer match with live commentary // 15189.8. SINPO 15422.; 15198.8 at 0533-0704 with Brazilian music for program Memoria Nacional. Station comments and ID at 0645 “Rede Inconfidencia de Radio, 3y45”. SINPO 25422  (Manuel Méndez, Friol, Spain/BDXC)

15190, Rádio Inconfidencia at 0105. Portuguese commentary for soccer match – excellent coverage! SINPO 44444 (Paul Walker, AK). 

6150, Rádio Saturno, Belo Horizonte, 2118-2135. Brazilian vocal music. SINPO 25422. Also heard 0502-0538 with the program Faixa Brasil. SINPO 25422 (Méndez,, Spain)

6180, Rádio Nacional da Amazonia, Brasilia, 2114-2134. Brazilian music and comments // 11780. SINPO 25422 (Méndez,, Spain).

9665, Voz Missionaria, Camboriú. “Voz Missionaria da última hora.” // 11749.8. SINPO 35433 (Méndez,,Spain).

China

5965, CRI Xian Xiang “594.” 1359 in Korean with dual-language ID followed by a presumed Korean newscast. Signal poor-fair. Signal. China’s CRI (Xian Xianyang “594”) in Mandarin at 1400. Station ID at 1400 to the announcer’s text on the Chinese market. CNR-1 (Qiqihar) on 6075 at 1400. Mandarin. Announcer’s reaction from Europe to tariffs. Fair-good signal. (Tony Pavick, Canada/HCDX)

Clandestine

4560, Voice of the People (Goyang) via South Korea at 1259. K-Pop music to 1300. Presumed to be an announcer’s historical anecdote. Fair-good signal. (Pavick, Canada) 

6195, Radio Ndarason International via Georgetown, Ascension Island relay. Kanuri programming at 0503. African-style music and talk. SINPO 35553, programming to Chad (Grimm, Brazil).

Denmark

15700, World Music Radio at 0518. Caribbean music tunes as signal improves for SINPO 25332 to 35443 (Walker, AK). WMR 15700, 1713-1732. Latin American songs to station ID. Portuguese vocals. SINPO 35433 (Méndez, Spain). https://www.wmr.dk/ 

HCJB QSL

Ecuador

6050, HCJB Pichincha, 0545-0725. Another day noted with an extended religious program. ID “HCJB los acompaia Noted interference from ELWA Liberia’s sign-on. (Grimm, Brazil).https://hcjb.org/

Ethiopia

6030, Radio Oromiya, Addis Ababa. 1750-1820. Traditional Ethiopian music to the presumed Amharic announcements. (Rod Pearson, FL/Kiwi S Africa)

6090, Voice of Amhara, Addis Ababa. 1755-1815. Very weak signal during announcer’s text; much of the same format for Radio Fana, Addis Ababa. 1815-1830. Ethiopian music and announcer’s comments for weak signal. SINPO 23322 (Pearson, FL).

Eswatini

13800, Trans World Radio, 1859. Closing programming with Arabic contact info. Station ID, “This is TWR broadcasting from Eswatini.” Interval signal to close down at 1902, to new programming ID and info in an unknown language (Walker, AK). www.twr.org 

Finland

6195, RealMix Radio, Raasepori 1835-2100. Usual routine of music oldies to “Real Mix Radio” identification. (Sam Wright, MS/NLD Twente)

Mt Fiji - NHK QSL

France

9440, NHK World -Japan via Issoudun relay at 0415. Japanese service, including a travelogue-style programming with conversations. SINPO 34443; Fair signal noted on 17680 at 1850 in Japanese. (Pearson, FL/Wright, MS) https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/ 

Germany

15440, Adventist World Radio via Nauen. Hausa service at 1920. Station contacts info and Nigerian address for religious material. Station interval signal into English ID into Igbo language. SINPO 35553, programming targeted to Nigeria, West Africa (Grimm, Brazil).

Guam

9320, KTWR via Merizo.at 1935. Korean service with Christian music and a sermon. SINPO 35443 to North and South Korea (Grimm, Brazil). www.twr.org 

Voice of Indonesia QSL

Indonesia

4755, Voice of Indonesia 1958-2101  //  3325  via Palangkaray not heard. Closing items from the Dutch service, followed by the French service at 2000. Station opening IDs, frequency quotes, station info and social media reference. “Voice of Indonesia” station jingle and additional VOI information, followed by international news. English service from 2100 with the same opening format and international news topics. Email: voi@voinews.id  Website: www.voinews.id You Tube videos (French)  https://youtu.be/c6vLEauTs9o and English at:   https://youtu.be/8exhkZ0w00U  (G Van Horn, LA/Kiwi Philippine SDR).

Liberia

6050, ELWA Radio, Monrovia *0559-0622.Opening with an English religious tune to comments. Excessive interference from Ecuador’s HCJB on the same frequency. SINPO 21421. Also heard *0556 with interval signal, English religious text. (Méndez, Spain). https://www.elwamausa.org/ 

Madagascar

13670, WCB in English at 1854. Oldies music to close down before the announcer in Nashville talks on baptism and how to contact the station. Interval signal to off at 1858. SINPO 54554 (Walker, AK).

Mexico

6185, XEPPM Radio Educacion-Cultura, Mexico City. Fair-good signal  (SIO 433) for Spanish programming 0140-0245. Evening news items and station promotions, into the Mexican classical music program. (Pearson, FL). Monitored from 0659 with guitar music at 0700., station callsign and station ID. Fair-good signal (Pavick, Canada). https://radioeducacion.edu.mx/ 

Moldova - Jacpa Village

Moldova

12160, Vesti FM via Grigoriopol. Russian programming with mentions of “Ukraine and Amerinski” – supposedly a news bulletin in Russian. Instrumental music clips between news items. SINPO 45554 (Grimm, Brazil).

Peru

4775, Radio Tarma 0115-0120. Peruvian folk music program including pauses for station identification. SINPO 34434 (Pearson, FL)

Romania

13860, Radio Romania International at 1914. Spanish program about current events, SINPO 44443. RRI on 11975 with the announcer team’s dialogue on the Israel/Hamas war.(Walker, AK).

Takististan

4765, Radio Tojikiston/Tajik Radio, Dushabe. 1910-2000.* Presumed to be Tajiki with occasional Russian. Regional Central-Asian folk-style music to sign off. (Van Horn, LA/Kiwi Russia SDR)

VOT QSL 

Turkey

9750, Voice of Turkey 1858. An English newscast with poor signal modulation during the speech segment. Turkish music. SINPO 45343 (Walker). 11785 in English, 2235-2240. Fair signal quality (Pearson, FL). 

United States

9455, WRMI. The Overcomer Ministry programming at 2310. Religious music and text. SINPO 25442, targeted to Central America (Pearson). https://www.wrmi.net/ 

9695, KNLS Anchor Point, Alaska *0800-0807. Station interval signal to English religious comments and music. Very weak signal for SINPO 15421. Chinese 11875. *0800-0810. SINPO 15422  (Méndez, Spain). www.knls.org 

Vanuatu

7260, Radio Vanuatu, Port Vila. 0627-0718. Bislama and English programming to US pop tunes (Méndez, Spain/Walker, AK).Additional monitoring *658-0725  in English. Program comments to interval signal, news/commentary. Pacific island music. SINPO 15422; 9960 via Port Vila, 0641-0658.* (Méndez, Spain) https://www.vaticannews.va/en/epg.html 

Vatican

9580, Vatican Radio, Sta Maria di Galeria. Vietnamese service with commentary and Catholic service. SINPO 35443 targeted to Southeast Asia (Grimm, Brazil).

Zambia

4965, Voice of Hope-Africa, 1859-2000. Station info and ID with frequency quote. Christian praise music: He Loves. Closing religious message at 1958, musical melody to close down station ID, off at 2000. YT video: https://youtu.be/BqYlMOnzkU0 (Van Horn, LA) See my in-depth report on Zambia in the June issue of The Spectrum Monitor. www.thespectrummonitor.com