The SWLing Post

BBC Begins Phased Closure of Radio 5 Live AM Transmitters

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Majid Hussain, who notes that the BBC is beginning the phased closure of some of its BBC Radio 5 Live AM transmitters. According to RadioToday, the first two AM transmitters are scheduled to close at the end of July 2026, marking the start of a wider reduction in the […]

There’s something in the (w)air

Hi to all the SWLing Post community. Here’s news of what Imaginary Stations will be bringing to the airwaves this weekend. On Saturday 20th June at 1100 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and again on Sunday 21st June at 1300 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and 2000 hrs UTC on 3975 kHz/6160 kHz via Shortwave Gold […]

RTI Test Broadcast on Sunday, June 21, 2026

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following announcement from Radio Taiwane International’s French Language service (first the English translation, then the original in French): Dear Listener, The French Service would like to inform you that during August 2026 (August 7–30), Radio Taiwan International (RTI) will broadcast directly from its Tamsui […]

Immediate Frequency Change for VORW Radio International’s broadcast to East Asia

Dear Listeners, Due to significant interference which has emerged from a neighboring station – causing reception issues for the existing broadcast on 9705 kHz, I have made the decision to immediately change frequencies in order to resolve this issue. This one-time newsletter is being sent in order to inform listeners of this change. Effective immediately, […]

DXing Comes to the Madison Clinic

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares news from Radio World that DXing will be featured for the first time at the Midwest Regional Broadcasters Clinic (“Madison Clinic”) this September. The presentation will introduce broadcast engineers and industry professionals to the fascinating world of radio signal propagation and DX reception—and perhaps inspire […]

1976 U.S. Bicentennial Callsigns

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Greenall, who writes: Hi Thomas, In 1976, amateur radio operators in the United States were allowed the option of using a special prefix in place of their regular one to celebrate the country’s bicentennial year. Many amateurs issued special QSL cards for this bearing the new prefix, making […]

Alan Roe’s A-26 Season Guide to Music on Shortwave (version 3.0)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who shares his A-26 (version 3.0) 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 v3.0 (PDF) Alan has also created at-a-glance, single-page PDF programme grids for BBC World Service, CGTN Radio, Radio […]

The GPS Numbers Station: Hidden Encrypted Messages in Plain Sight

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Scott Gamble, who writes: Hi Thomas – An interesting article was published in the most recent issue of Inside GNSS magazine that suggests that the US Military has been using an obscure field in GPS broadcasts to deliver encoded messages, potentially for use by intelligence agencies. The article “The […]

CHU Closure on June 22, 2026

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares the following article from Radio World about the impending shutdown of Canada’s iconic CHU shortwave time station. We’ve covered CHU’s imminent closure several times here on the SWLing Post, but this Radio World piece provides a particularly nice overview of the station’s history, purpose, and […]

Downbeat, country music and a record room

Hi to all SWLing Post community. Here’s news of what Imaginary Stations will be bringing to those shortwave bands this week. We have the fourth programme in the Downbeat on Shortwave series via Shortwave Gold, where guest DJs Jesse Yuen and One Deck Pete bring you two 15-minute downtempo mixes each over the hour-long show. […]

Shortwave Memories — World Radio-TV Handbook

by Karl D. Forth Reading through the 1971 World Radio-TV Handbook only as a reference source was interesting, but as I started listening more I also realized I felt part of what was happening – I could hear many of the countries described, one way or another. I’ve always liked directories. You can often learn […]

Texas Radio Shortwave: Schedule for July and August, 2026

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

24 Hours of Le Mans 2026 Special Event

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Jamet, who shares the following announcement: 24 Hours of Le Mans 2026 During the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans Automobile race, the amateur radio operators of the Sarthe Radio Club F6KFI will be in the spotlight! To celebrate the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, the amateur […]

The MLite-880: A more thorough performance assessment

By 13dka Following up on the article I recently wrote about the MLite-880, I still had a comparison with a reference radio on a proper antenna on my to-do list. I wasn’t in a hurry because I got pretty fascinated with exploring what I can get out of various magmounts on my car with this […]

Tecsun PL-520: An Excellent Upgrade

by Dan Robinson The Tecsun PL-520 has been out for some time now though units have been getting into the hands of more reviewers such as myself in recent weeks. There are a number of excellent overview videos available on YouTube, so my purpose here won’t be to dive into sensitivity level and similar comparisons […]

Radio Bulgaria: QSL Card Features Radio Sofia’s 1939 Broadcast Van

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following news:  In 2026, Radio Bulgaria is issuing a new series of 12 QSL cards to confirm listeners’ reception reports. Each card highlights a key historical moment from the history of Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) and the Radio Bulgaria programme. At the beginning of […]

More 250 year celebrations and WHFM

Hi to all SWLing Post community. Here’s news of what Imaginary Stations will be bringing to the ionosphere this week. We have the second episode of Radio 250 via Shortwave Gold, which is full with all sorts of genres of music celebrating and bringing you more of a musical history lesson over the shortwaves. The […]

Shortwave Memories — Ghana’s North American Service

by Karl D. Forth Many of the African nations achieved independence in the 1960s, and as they raised their new national flag they wanted to be connected to the outside world. One of the first things they often did was build an airport so they could be accessible. The second was setting up a shortwave […]

A New Media Tech Museum Opens in Kansas City

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following news item about a new museum dedicated to the history of media and communications technology. Located in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, the Media Tech Museum features more than 900 artifacts tracing the evolution of communication—from telegraphy and early radio to television, film, […]

Did the Miyako earthquake affect Medium Wave reception at a Japanese DXpedition?

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 […]

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