The SWLing Post

by Satoshi Miyauchi, JP1SCQ, with Nick Hall-Patch, VE7DXR Introduction In early November 2025, several members of our Totsuka DXers Circle in Japan (TDXC https://www.tdxc.net/abouttdxc/ ) traveled from the Tokyo area to Tanohata village in Iwate prefecture on northern Honshu island in order to take part in a medium wave (MW) DXpedition that took place on [...]

by Dan Greenall Time and standard frequency stations have been around for a long time. In my early years of DXing, there were more than 20 of them scattered all over the globe. These two pages from the 1972 World Radio TV Handbook show what could be heard back then, along with the frequencies used. [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor, Bill Tilford, who shares the following update: From the Isle of Music, June 2026 This month, we feature three new releases - special guest Hugo Cruz will be with us to help present his second release, Figure It Out". The album also has a fascinating back story. Unless you have a [...]

Many thanks to SWling Post contributor, Rich Cuff, who shares this piece from Hackaday: So Long, CHU, And Thanks For All The Time Signals." It's well worth a read-and if you've never tuned in to CHU before, now may be your last chance. Read the full article here: https://hackaday.com/2026/05/27/so-long-chu-and-thanks-for-all-the-time-signals/ Please note, I would appreciate any [...]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Frank, who is once again hosting a radio contest for shortwave listeners and mediumwave DXers this summer. Frank's SWL Contest 2026 focuses on AM radio listening and is open to radio enthusiasts who enjoy logging stations, comparing reception conditions, and simply exploring the radio spectrum. If you're looking for [...]

by Carlos Latuff I found it strange to come across interference from a Chinese radio station on the BBC's shortwave broadcast. For about a month, between April and May 2026, I was monitoring this special BBC radio service, transmitted from a station in Madagascar and aimed at Sudan and Gaza in Arabic. Aside from some [...]

Hi to all SWLing Post community. Here's news of what Imaginary Stations will be bringing to the shortwaves this week. Thanks to the services of Shortwave Gold we have the first episode of Radio 250. It's all about celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the United States. There are two wonderful shows lined up with all [...]

By 13dka After all the recent buzz and watching and reading every video, review, and discussion thread/group I could find about this radio, as per usual, I knew I had to buy one in order to find out if I want one...again. This is not a review, but taking notes while getting acquainted with it [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor and noted political cartoonist,Carlos Latuff, who shares the followingillustrated radio listening reports of recent BBC World Service broadcasts. Carlos notes: Ebola outbreak in D.R. Congo via BBC Click here to view on YouTube. Click here to view on YouTube.

Today, BBC Radio 4 will air The Sound of Soft Power, a documentary presented by Josephine McDermott exploring the history of international broadcasting and the role shortwave radio played as a tool of soft power during the Second World War and Cold War. The program features a number of familiar voices from shortwave history, including [...]

I was saddened to learn this morning (from multiple readers) that Canada's venerable shortwave time station, CHU, may soon fall silent. According to a notice posted by Canada's National Research Council, CHU's shortwave broadcasts are scheduled to end on June 22, 2026. For many listeners outside of the shortwave community, this may seem like an [...]

by Carlos Latuff I bring to the brothers-in-radio of SWLing Post a short report on my recent listening sessions of the BBC's emergency radio service, which broadcasts half an hour of Arabic-language programming from Sunday to Thursday to Sudan and Gaza on the frequency of 15280 kHz. The programming consists of a podcast entitled Middle [...]

by Dan Robinson The MLite-880 portable has been on the market for some time now. There have been a number of important developments, so it's time to update my original articles for those who already own the receiver and those who are still considering purchasing. A note to begin: I have no financial interests [...]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following article, which explores the story of Transit 5B-5 - a U.S. Navy satellite launched in 1964 that remains in orbit, continues transmitting telemetry signals, and is still monitored by amateur radio operators around the world more than six decades later. Fueled by a [...]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andrew, who shares the following article from Business Insider: An AI startup asked four of the world's top language models to run radio stations. So far, they've had a rough start. Claude tried to quit after deeming 24/7 broadcast stations unethical, while Grok had a hard time getting started, [...]

By Brian D. Smith, W9IND It's back to the track for amateur radio station W9IMS. Less than 2 weeks after concluding their first special event of the year, members of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Amateur Radio Club will take to the airwaves from now through Sunday, May 24, to commemorate the legendary Indianapolis 500. If [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor and noted political cartoonist,Carlos Latuff, who shares the followingillustrated radio listening report of a recent Vatican Radio broadcast. Carlos notes: 11.5 million people threatened by famine in Sudan, Vatican Radio, 11870 kHz Click here to view on YouTube.

Hi to all SWLing Post community. Here's news of what Imaginary Stations will be bringing to those shortwave transmitter sites this week coming. Thanks to the services of Shortwave Gold we have a few programmes this week coming.The first show is WMMR - Mystery Mix Radio. As usual, the show has a theme that you [...]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Markku (VA3MK), for sharing this BBC article marking the centenary of the world's first shortwave transatlantic telecommunication link between Canada and Somerset, England. Among other things, this article also highlights the historic Marconi Beam Wireless Station at Bridgwater and the challenges of early shortwave radio experimentation. Read the full [...]

I wanted to give SWLing Post readers a quick heads-up that I'll be traveling this week and attending Dayton Hamvention along with Four Days in May. Because of travel and a very full schedule, I'll likely be slower than usual replying to emails and may also post less frequently over the next week as free [...]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares this article from Hackaday that explores the fascinating last gasp" innovations of vacuum tube technology long after transistors had already begun taking over the electronics industry. The article dives into late-era tube developments like compactrons, lighthouse tubes, and RCA's remarkable nuvistor-tiny, rugged, low-noise tubes that [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor and noted political cartoonist,Carlos Latuff, who shares the followingillustrated radio listening report of a recent BBC broadcast. Carlos notes: Emmanuel Macron in Kenya: We are the true pan-africanists". BBC Afrique, 15490 kHz" Click here to view on YouTube.

Hi to all SWLing Post community. Here's news of what the Imaginary Stations crew will be sending out into the ionosphere and via those groundwaves this coming week. Thanks to Shortwave Gold, we have a transmission called JEWEL featuring an hour special on Jewel Records, from Cincinnati ran by Rusty York (more on the label [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor Terry (N5RTC), who shares the following schedules for Texas Radio Shortwave (click image to enlarge):

by Dan Greenall A half-century ago, long before the internet, e-mail, and SDRs, I was fortunate to visit the islands of Bermuda. In addition to meeting up with a fellow amateur radio operator, whom I had contacted from my home QTH in Ontario, Canada, I was able to do some listening on the AM broadcast [...]

Many thanks to SWling Post contributor David Goren, who recently uploaded the Shortwave Shindig interval signal slideshow to his YouTube channel. David notes: For the past 22 years or so, I've helmed the Shortwave Shindig, a long form listening session celebrating the art, history and culture of Shortwave Radio. This takes place in suburban Philadelphia [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor and noted political cartoonist,Carlos Latuff, who shares the followingillustrated radio listening report of a recent BBC Emergency Radio Service broadcast. Carlos notes: BBC Emergency Radio Service Click here to view on YouTube.

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor and noted political cartoonist,Carlos Latuff, who shares the followingillustrated radio listening report of a recent BBC Emergency Radio Service broadcast. Carlos notes: BBC Emergency Radio Service Click here to view on YouTube.

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor and noted political cartoonist,Carlos Latuff, who shares the followingillustrated radio listening report of a recent BBC ERS broadcast. Carlos notes: BBC Emergency Radio Service Click here to view on YouTube.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares this bit of radio nostalgia made real. Nearly 50 years after the iconic TV series WKRP in Cincinnati first aired, the call letters have officially returned-this time on a real FM station in Cincinnati. The new WKRP(FM) launched on 97.7 MHz, even featuring a familiar [...]

Hi to all SWLing Post community. Here's news of what Imaginary Stations will be bringing to the ionosphere this week. Thanks to Shortwave Gold, we have a transmission called WAIR - Always Independent Radio Featuring the sounds of indie, alternative and post -punk goodness. The show is on Saturday 9th May at 1100 hrs UTC [...]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Alfredo (EA4IMN), who writes: Hi Thomas, Greetings from EA4IMN. I recently purchased an XHDATA D-808, and got puzzled by the absence of an external jack for the LW/MW antenna. Inspired by previous work, I set to add this feature to my unit. My journey was overall straightforward, but not [...]

I wasn't able to attend the Winter SWL Fest this past weekend due to my travel schedule. As in years past, my good friend David Goren invited me to record a Meet the Archivist" segment for his annual Shortwave Shindig live event. Unfortunately, there were some technical difficulties this year, and the segment wasn't able [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor and noted political cartoonist,Carlos Latuff, who shares the followingillustrated radio listening report of a recent BBC broadcast. Carlos notes: BBC Emergency Radio Service: Click here to view on YouTube.

By Brian D. Smith, W9IND The long wait is over for W9IMS paper chasers! As racing teams spend the coming week tuning up their speed machines, radio enthusiasts can tune in for their first chance at earning Indianapolis Motor Speedway QSL cards and the 2026 certificate. The first of three special events commemorating major auto [...]

By Robert Gulley K4PKM Power supplies have come a long way since I started in amateur radio, and the behemoths of old are quickly being replaced with smaller, more efficient, switching power supplies. I know, I know - those of us who have been around long before these little units became what they are today, [...]

By Don Moore More of Don's traveling DX stories can be found in his bookTales of a Vagabond DXer[SWLing Post affiliate link]. If you've already read his book and enjoyed it, do Don a favor and leave a reviewon Amazon. I'm spending April and May wandering around northern Spain and northern Portugal. My goal is [...]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Greenall, who writes: Hi Thomas, Judging by the 60 dB over S9 signal strength on a Kiwi SDR receiver in South Korea, I would say the Voice of America is getting into its target area very well. They have a Korean language broadcast on 9310 kHz beginning at [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor and noted political cartoonist,Carlos Latuff, who shares the followingillustrated radio listening report of a recent BBC ERS broadcast. Carlos notes: BBC's Emergency Radio Service: Click here to view on YouTube.

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor and noted political cartoonist,Carlos Latuff, who shares the followingillustrated radio listening report of a recent BBC ERS broadcast. Carlos notes: BBC's Emergency Radio Service: Click here to view on YouTube.

by Karl D. Forth Radio Moscow didn't seem confrontational. We're here, their attitude seemed to be, and we're going to offer our opinion on things, which you may or may not like. Looking at the World Radio-TV Handbook in the early 1970s, Radio Moscow was on dozens of frequencies from many different transmitters thousands of [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor, Loyd Van Horn, who shares the following announcement: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DX Central Unveils SEDAP: The World's Most Advanced Sporadic Es Data Analysis Dashboard for the FM DX Community MANDEVILLE, La. - April 29, 2026 - DX Central is proud to announce the official launch of version 2.0 of our popular [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who shares his A-26 (version 2.0) season guide to music on shortwave. Alan provides this amazing resource as a free PDF download. Click here to download Music on Shortwave A-26 v2.0 (PDF) Alan has also created at-a-glance, single-page PDF programme grids for BBC World Service, CGTN Radio, Radio [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor, Bill Tilford, who shares the following update: From the Isle of Music, Friday, May 8, 2026, 3955 kHz, 1600 UTC, repeats 2200 UTC This month, we present some Cuban rock and pop from the 60s, 70s and 80s.. Uncle Bill's Melting Pot, Friday, May 15, 2016,: 3955 kHz at 1600 UTC, [...]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Bruce (VE3EAR), who writes: Hello Thomas, about a month ago, I bought a portable SDR receiver after reading a few positive reviews about it online. It's a BAJEI, which I purchased from Amazon [SWLing Post affiliate link] and shipped from China. It arrived on my doorstep just ten days [...]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura who shares this post from Kim Andrew Elliott regarding the importance of continued congressional funding for the Voice of America (VOA). He argues that U.S. international broadcasting is still a vital form of soft power-delivering credible news where press freedom is limited-and warns that cutting funding would [...]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Loyd Van Horn, who shares the following announcement: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DX Central Announces the 2026 Summer of DX Challenge: The Biggest, Most Advanced Logging Event Yet MANDEVILLE, LA - DX Central is thrilled to announce the return of the hobby's most exciting seasonal event: The 2026 Summer of [...]

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor and noted political cartoonist,Carlos Latuff, who shares the followingillustrated radio listening report of a recent BBC broadcast. Click here to view on YouTube.

Many thanks toSWLing Postcontributor and noted political cartoonist,Carlos Latuff, who shares the followingillustrated radio listening report of a recent BBC broadcast. Carlos notes: BBC'S emergency radio service, 15280 kHz Click here to view on YouTube.

Hi to all SWLing Post community. Here's news of what Imaginary Stations will be bringing to the ionosphere this weekend and into next week. Thanks to Shortwave Gold, the third instalment of We Love Shortwave" (WWLS) is ready to be beamed into those airwaves! The show is on Saturday 2nd May at 1100 hrs UTC [...]