Ancient DX Report – 1927
The American radio magazine Radio News for October 1927 presented a list of radio broadcasting stations that were recently monitored on shortwave. We have adjusted that list into a more modern format, and we present this off air monitoring information in frequency order.
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Voice of America Relay Station in a Submarine
The Voice of America radio stations in the Philippine Islands, that subsequently became so well known throughout the international radio world, underwent a very small though very interesting beginning towards the end of the Pacific War in the middle of last century. In order to understand those early origins way back then, let’s go back to the year 1942. This is what happened.
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Bird Calls on Shortwave Radio
Bird Call identification signals from five different shortwave stations, and a little about the bird that is featured in the sign on routine, as well as about the station itself.
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Radio in Bulgaria Celebrates 100 Years
It was on September 25, 1921, that the very first radio broadcasting event took place in Bulgaria, and they celebrated the 100th anniversary of this historic event on September 25, 2021, just three months back. Their very first radio broadcast was the live relay of a program from Germany via a Morse Code transmitter that was specially modified for the event.
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Living Traditions
KKCR Kauai
Kauai, Hawaii's fourth-largest island, is known for its exceptional natural beauty, even by local standards. It is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands, home to about 70,000 people and KKCR Kauai Community Radio.
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A Radio Fair in Buenos Aires
Martin Butera takes us on a visit to a radio fair (hamfest) in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, South America.
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New Home for 2XN
When the studios of Station 2XN, in Nelson, New Zealand, were destroyed in a fire which ravaged two Trafalgar Street buildings in late 1965, the Broadcasting Corporation had to find a new home for its local station pending the building of its own block.
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Sea Change
Coast FM West Cornwall
The sandy beaches and turquoise waters of Mount's Bay in Cornwall are one of the UK's most cherished natural spots (writes Annabel Martin). The historic port of Penzance is the county's westernmost town. Here, we speak with Dave Pascoe, station manager of Coast FM, about the community radio station, the Beach Boys and a shoplifting seagull.
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ULR DX-pedition
November 2020 – Northeast Brazil
Join Martín Butera & his wife Ligia Katze for a week of holidaying & radio listening in Recife, Brazil.
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AFRTS AFN Kodiak Alaska
Rare Audio from 1967
Part of an episode of The Steve Phillips Show from 1967, recorded in the studios of "The Mighty 8-90", AFRTS Adak, dedicated to the staff/listeners of AFRTS Shemya.
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Palau restores AM radio service
After erecting a new tower Palau's state broadcaster has restored its AM radio service. The previous AM tower was destroyed during Typhoon Bopha, in 2012.
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YVTO: Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory, Caracas, Venezuela
Historical compilation of what was one of the most important time signals in South America YVTO, transmitted from the "Juan Manuel Cagigal" Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory, in the city of Caracas, Venezuela.
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Radio Nova Opens 'The Vinyl Vault'
Like any computer, a playout system can need rebooting at an awkward time. When that happened for Dublin's Radio Nova, however, it launched an on-air vinyl resurgence.
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Remembering Radio Doctors, Milwaukee's Legendary Record Store
The other night during a Milwaukee visit enjoying the road show version of the Temptations' Broadway hit Ain't Too Proud with my wife, Susan Orr—former WYMS-FM dee-jay—I was reminded of the years I bought their records at Radio Doctors' three locations...
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GatesAir's 100 Years of History in Pictures
Photos span nearly all decades of the company's existence, many of which have never been published.
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The NZ Vintage Radio Project
If you have an interest in vintage radio receivers, especially those that were available in New Zealand, then The NZ Vintage Radio Project website, run by Steve Dunworth, is worth a visit.
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Aotea FM
Sounds of Sanctuary
Aotea Community Radio Trust runs the only radio station on Great Barrier Island, New Zealand (writes Annabel Martin). More than 60 per cent of the island, which lies about 90km off the Auckland coast, is protected by the country's Department of Conservation and its natural beauty has not gone unnoticed.
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Offshore Radio Against The Beatles Phenomenon
In the early 1960s, an event would occur that would change the sound of British radio forever – the growth of 'pirate' radio stations from overseas.
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The Plum Radio
Caribbean station The Plum Radio may only employ a team of five but its global reach spans continents. Based on the island of St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, it was founded in 2020 to remedy a lack of smooth jazz on the airwaves.
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Brazil Ham Radio Operator Accumulator
Sebastiao has already lost count of how much equipment he has accumulated in his house, which now only serves to store the millions of transmitters that are scattered throughout all rooms of the house.
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Ukraine's Radio Station of National Resistance
High up in the Carpathian Mountains, two Kyiv broadcasters keep the signal alive. Recently, at a closed ski resort in Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains, Roman Davydov leaned into a microphone and announced the latest news from the war. Kryvyi Rih, in southern Ukraine, was being attacked; a U.S. journalist had been shot; and the British Foreign Secretary had announced new sanctions on Russian oligarchs in London.
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Caithness FM, Thurso, Scotland
At the tip of Scotland's rugged northeastern coastline is the historic county of Caithness, famed for its ancient burial sites and beautiful scenery (writes Annabel Martin). It is also home to Caithness FM, the northernmost radio station on mainland Britain. Here, we speak with Jackie Johnson, co-director and secretary, about the station's beginnings, its most requested track and falling asleep at the mixing desk.
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The Art of Collecting: Henrique Schuchmann Morador
Collecting is a basic and very old human instinct, typical of organized, careful and somewhat obsessive people. Our interviewee is the opposite. Entering his garage in which he keeps a secret bunker where he hosts his radio collections, is like entering a trip to the origins of the cosmos, a collection of messy planets that at the same time work in perfect balance.
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Rovinj FM, Croatia
Rovinj is an ancient fishing port on Croatia's Istrian coast (writes Annabel Thomas). It was originally an island, until the channel separating it from the mainland was filled in 1763. Alen Matosovic Topssy from radio station Rovinj FM tells us about the town's baroque cathedral, the perils of broadcasting from a sailboat and the team's favourite hangout.
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KTRK / K-Truck 1670 kHz
For a few days in February 1996 the United States Army Broadcasting Service carried out test transmissions of a transportable AM-band radio station, housed in a truck, prior to deployment to Europe.
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The Radio Spectrum on the South Pacific Island of New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a verdant tropical island with a quarter million population and it lies close to a thousand miles off the east coast of Australia, and a thousand miles north of New Zealand. This French Overseas Territory is made up of more than 140 different islands, some 40 of which are inhabited.
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Introducing the Bayerischer Rundfunk
In 1991 German broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk published this interesting booklet that was sent out to listeners along with QSL cards and stickers. At the time they broadcast on 6085 kHz in the 49 metre shortwave band and were heard world-wide.
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Remember Atlantic 252?
The story of the station that was the sound of the 90s
For a while no car ride was complete without hearing it. Atlantic 252 - on longwave - was a 90s Manchester radio stalwart, even though it was based in Ireland.
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The Pirate Archive
If you have an interest in UK land-based pirate radio history we recommend the fascinating website "The Pirate Archive". It's a great collection of audio.
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Radio Tulum, Mexico
Near the tip of Mexico's white-sand Yucatán Peninsula is the hip beach town of Tulum. Radio Tulum is a non-profit community radio station and production house that provides a venue for the town's musicians to showcase their work. The area has been settled since ancient times and alongside its stunning beaches, it is also home to sacred Mayan ruins.
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Midway Communications Facilities
A collection of photos from Charles E. Kinzer (Navy ETN2 on Midway 1966-1968), taken during his time working on Midway in the 1960s.
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Sifnos RadioActive 91.3, Greece
Riris Papatsarouchas originally set up radio station Sifnos Radioactive 91.3 in 1999 to provide some better driving music (writes Georgia Bisbas). As well as broadcasting to some 10,000 people on Sifnos and the nearby Cyclades, it has built a global fan base, with listeners in Brazil, Zimbabwe and Thailand.
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Daltro D'Arisbo Radio Museum, Porto Alegre, Brazil
In search of radio stories, this trip takes me more than 2,000 kilometers from home to the south of Brazil, more precisely to the city of Porto Alegre, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
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KMTH Midway
Photos from 1968
Charles E. Kinzer (Navy ETN2 on Midway 1966-1968) sent us these photos he took on Midway c1968 during his time working at the transmitter site 1966-1968.
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NZ Radio Audio Samples
A few audio recordings that were donated to us in the past, mostly for use in the documentaries that we produced for airing on RNZI's Mailbox programme.
> Listen...
Eclipse Broadcasts from Airplanes
Eclipse historians inform us that the first attempt to observe a solar eclipse from an airplane took place for an aerial observation of the Great American Eclipse which traversed the entire continental United States on June 8, 1918. This first occasion was a simple flight into the zone of totality with no attempt at any scientific research.
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Radio Hauraki 40th Anniversary Broadcast
2006 marked the 40th anniversary of the launch of Radio Hauraki, then a pirate station broadcasting from the waters of the Hauraki Gulf, near Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand. In November of 2006 the modern-day land-based Radio Hauraki in Auckland aired an 8 hour "special" to mark the anniversary.
> Listen...
Feedback on "4AT Atherton" Story
Our feature "4AT Atherton", on the history of that Queensland, Australia, station generated some interesting email correspondence that Al Kirton of Radio 4KZ, and Radio Heritage Foundation supporter, forwarded on to us. We think it is worth sharing.
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93KHJ, American Samoa
With a population of just 3,600, Pago Pago in American Samoa is one of the world’s smaller capital cities (writes Nyasha Oliver). Despite its size, radio station 93KHJ’s general manager and co-owner Joey Cummings is proud to call the city home.
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70 Years of 2ZA
2ZA 'The Voice of the Manawatu' broadcasting from Palmerston North in 1938. An ambitious social history exhibition was mounted by the regional museum Te Manawa to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the local radio station that had such an impact on community life.
> Enjoy!
New Zealand MW & FM Audio
Some interesting audio clips from the collection of David Miller, including the openings of Radio Hauraki on land and on FM.
> Enjoy!
New additions to our QSL Gallery
We have recently added some new items to the QSL Gallery on our website:
- The Hazel Edwards (nee Nicholls) Collection of QSLs from the 1930s. A small but interesting mix of amateur and broadcast, both medium and shortwave, all heard in Auckland, New Zealand.
- The next folder of mediumwave verification letters in the David Ricquish Collection. More of David’s Asian, Pacific and North American verification letters from the 1970s & 80s.
> Enjoy!
The Search for an old Historic Shortwave Station KUSW
In 1939, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints which is headquartered in Salt Lake City in Utah was interested in getting on the air on shortwave. They struck a deal through their mediumwave station KSL to buy shortwave station W9XAA...
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Six Local Radio Broadcasting Stations on Antigua
The story of six local radio broadcasting stations that have been located on the island of Antigua, a British territory on the northeastern edge of the Caribbean. The stories associated with this cluster of local radio stations span more than half a century of interesting radio history.
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PAL November 2021 Update
Bruce Portzer's Pacific-Asian Log (PAL) Guide has been updated to
the November 2021 edition.
You can download a PDF copy or search and browse the on-line database version
from the "Our Radio Guides" sidebar or our Radio
Guides page.
Radio Lapa55
Rio de Janeiro
To start telling you the history of this radio, it is first necessary to tell you where this particular streaming station is located. Radio Lapa55, is located in the Selina Lapa Rio hotel, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The Selina is a youth-oriented hotel, combining different styles of accommodation with modern design...
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New Zealand Broadcasting Press Clippings Scrapbook 1994-1996
The late Mark Nicholls kept a series of scrapbooks containing newspaper and magazine clippings relating to the broadcasting scene in New Zealand. These books provide an interesting look back at NZ broadcasting at the time...
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Massive Aruba
In the south of the Caribbean, just north of Venezuela, sits the tiny island of Aruba (population: 110,000). Together with the nearby islands of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, it makes up the Dutch Caribbean, which falls within the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. But despite its links to Europe, Aruba still has a distinct Caribbean culture and nowhere is this more evident than the town of San Nicolas...
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Making Waves
Coast FM Tasmania
Wynyard on the coast of Tasmania is a picturesque and quiet place to put down roots (writes Nyasha Oliver). We don't even have any traffic...
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Radio Heritage Foundation provides mirror of the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive
The Radio Heritage Foundation is pleased to announce it is now providing a backup mirror of this fascinating audio archive site run by Thomas Witherspoon.
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The Island Called Antigua in the Caribbean
The island called Antigua is the main island of the independent Commonwealth mini-country in the Caribbean that is identified under the twin title as Antigua and Barbuda...
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New museum to recognize Warsaw radio station that was second biggest in the world
In memory of what was once the second tallest radio transmission station in the world, scientists are looking to set up a museum to commemorate its history...
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The Radio Scene in the Isles of Scilly
Some thirty miles out west from Land’s End at the tip of the Cornish peninsular lie the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago of 140 islands, 5 of of which are inhabited. These Atlantic islands operate under their own separate local authority as part of the county of Cornwall, their main industry is tourism, and their main export is cut flowers (in particular daffodils) for the London market...
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History of Rádio Muda
Martin Butera reports on one of the oldest university and free radio stations in Brazil, "Rádio Muda", which broadcast since the mid-1980s inside the water tower of the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), in the state of São Paulo, Brazil...
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Kazakhstan Celebrates 100 Years of Radio History
At the present time, the central Asian nation of Kazakhstan is celebrating the 100th anniversary of radio broadcasting in their country. It was in October 1921 that the first radio broadcasting station was inaugurated in the city of Orenburg, exactly one hundred years ago...
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75 Years of 7LA Launceston
On the 13th of December 2005 radio station 7LA in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, celebrated 75 years of broadcasting...
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The Early Wireless Scene on Three Islands off the Coast of Wales
An investigation of the early wireless scene on three separate islands, all tourist related islands, that are located off the northwest coast of the country of Wales in islandic Europe. These three islands are identified as Holy, South Stack, and Anglesey, and we begin with the Marconi wireless scene at Holyhead on Holy Island back in the year 1901...
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Western Australian Telecommunications History
We recently came across this web page which has some interesting snippets regarding the history of broadcasting in Western Australia...
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South Australian Radio Memories
Enjoy these two CDs from our archives looking back at radio in South Australia in the 1950s...
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Palau Wave Radio
Located in a remote corner of Micronesia, deep in the western Pacific, Palau is an archipelago of more than 300 coral and volcanic rock islands, and a nation teeming with culture and history. "It's a pristine paradise," says Salvador "Sadoi" Tellames, who owns and manages radio station Palau Wave Radio...
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Visit to the Brasilia Radio and Television Tower
It already seems to be a classic as well as the giant wheels of the London Eye type, in the city of London England. Communication towers are becoming more and more tourist attraction points...
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LLRI: VOUS St John's, Newfoundland
Long Lost Radio History Images: LLRI #50 – VOUS – AFRS in Canada. During the Second World War the United States set up its Fort Pepperrell base on the shores of Quidi Vidi Lake...
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Warren Fahey Presents Yesterday's Australia
A Collection of Early Australian Radio & Musical Hall Nostalgia...
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The Night Watch
WXLG Kwajalein 1953
Rare audio & photos from WXLG Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands in 1953...
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What Happened to the Famous KDKA Shortwave Station at Saxonburg?
During its 20 years of operation in the Pittsburgh area, the Westinghouse KDKA stations utilized a dozen or more main and subsidiary shortwave transmitters, ranging in power from less than one kW right up to 50 kW...
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Opening Broadcasts of 4ZJ & 3XG
In 2010 Oamaru DXer Peter Grenfell donated these two recordings of "opening broadcasts" to us. The first is of 4ZJ, a short-term station broadcasting for the 1978 Scout Jamboree in Oamaru, the second being the start of full-time broadcasting from Radio Rhema in Christchurch...
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Radio Prague International celebrates 85th anniversary
Czech Radio have published this article on their website, celebrating the 85th anniversary of Radio Prague International, which was launched on August 31, 1936...
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The Early Days of 2KO Newcastle
A look back at the early days of 2KO in pictures and sound...
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Hutt Radio 106.1FM Fundraising CD
In 2011 the Hutt Radio Trust published this fundraising CD of 18 tracks donated by independent American musicians...
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NiuFM – Station Snapshot from 2004
Two short sampler CDs from NiuFM in 2004...
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Radio Guarujá Paulista, Guarujá, São Paulo, Brazil
Radio Guarujá Paulista began broadcasting in the city, according to the data provided by ANATEL (Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes – Brazil), between the mid and late 1940s. Currently the studios and transmitter plant is located in the area of Pitangueiras, a Santa Rosa neighborhood, duly assigned and domiciled in the street, Jose Vaz Porto, number 175...
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Rádio São Jorge, Goiás, Brazil
The idea came in the early 2000s but the project was on hold for years because we had licensing issues. Then last year - at the start of the pandemic - we brought the idea back and the station was born as part of a project led by a non-profit, Turma Que Faz, which offers a range of arts and nature-based activities for kids in the area...
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The World's Highest Radio Station Celebrates its 50th Anniversary: AIR Leh
When it was constructed in 1970, the mediumwave and shortwave station of All India Radio at Leh in Kashmir was listed as the World's Highest Radio Station, and it has survived, fire, flood and snow during its half century history...
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Radio Weddings – Part 1
In this feature we present Part 1 in an interesting series of wedding events under the title, Radio Weddings. We begin our first story way back more than one hundred years ago, at the time when the coastal steamer SS Princess Anne was commuting the Atlantic coast of the United States...
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New Zealand Broadcasting Press Clippings Scrapbook 1992-1994
The late Mark Nicholls kept a series of scrapbooks containing newspaper and magazine clippings relating to the broadcasting scene in New Zealand. These books provide an interesting look back at NZ broadcasting at the time...
> read more
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