"Congratulations on QSLing Rwanda," I said to the hobby newcomer. He was shocked to discover what he thought was Deutsche Welle from Germany, was actually from their Kigali, Rwanda transmitter relay site.
Location is everything and each transmitter location may count as a new country. In doing so the collector can verify several countries from one station. A few include; Madagascar and Netherlands Antilles from Radio Netherlands and Voice of America relays from Ascension Island, Botswana, São Tomé and Sri Lanka. Verify an extra Canadian site via South Korea's Sackville relay, while Adventist World Radio and Trans World Radio can rake in Guam, South Africa, Swaziland, United Arab Emirates, and more.
The list of transmitter sites continue to expand while broadcasters in the United States and abroad trade relays from multiple locations. Next time you band scan, check the frequency in Passport to World Band Radio or the 2008 Klingenfuss Shortwave Frequency Guide. Most stations if requested, will reference the site on your QSL, and you may be surprised at the transmitter location.
Who says there's nothing left to hear on shortwave? The transmitter route is an easy way to add to your country or station totals.
(Gayle Van Horn, QSL Report, Monitoring Times)