Meet the Hobbyists Behind Today’s Smartest Radios

 

Across generations and continents, FM DXers embrace open-source tools to tune into distant signals

By Nick Langan 

Published: July 21, 2025

Do you remember your first portable radio?

For Sjef Verhoeven, it was a Sony Walkman in 1993. As is common in the Netherlands, he would often ride his bike. That spring, he heard FM stations from the U.K. at a distance of about 300 kilometers. All day long, various BBC affiliates were audible.

“I had to find out why that was possible,” he said.

Verhoeven, 47, eventually became an electrical engineer for a wholesaler in radio and TV equipment in the Eindhoven area of the Netherlands. He earned his amateur radio license (PE5PVB) in 1999.

Additional story at: 

https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/news-makers/meet-the-hobbyists-behind-todays-smartest-radios?utm_term=A8208372-8B15-4B60-A12B-B5B02339D50A&utm_medium=email&utm_content=E8C9855E-4115-481D-956B-10DDB341857F&utm_source=SmartBrief

Tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/3fc5zhmm