The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for Her Majesty’s Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. During our travels in Germany and the Netherlands, we listened to the BFBS when we were in range of their transmitters. Also, during Desert Storm, I happened to catch their shortwave transmission from Cyprus in 1991. They are an excellent QSL verifier. Their office in Köln, Germany verified my FM reception reports, and their office at Bridge House in London verified my shortwave reception.
Südwestrundfunk was not on the air when we lived in Germany and Korea, so I had to wait until 2000 after we moved back to the states to try for their shortwave outlet on 7265 kHz in Rohrdorf. I logged and QSLed the SW outlet before as Südwestfunk (SWF) before SDR and SWF merged to become SWR in 1998.
The Südwestfunk (SWF) was a public service broadcaster which served parts of the German states of Baden-Württemberg and Rheinland-Pfalz, with headquarters in Baden-Baden. In 1998, SWF and Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR) merged to form the new Südwestrundfunk (SWR).
Below you can see the QSLs the station sent for my receptions reports. They also sent a bunch of stickers also which are seen below as well. We heard the FM outlets during our trips to the area and the AM (Medium wave) outlets from our home. Their shortwave outlet on 7265 was a fairly easy catch throughout the world. I logged them numerous times in the USA and in Korea.
Norddeutscher Rundfunk HQ Rothenbaumchaussee in Hamburg
Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) is a public broadcaster based in Hamburg. It currently serves the German states of Niedersachen, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as the city of Hamburg. The network produces several programming streams which are transmitted on an FM network throughout its broadcast area. When we lived in Germany, NDR also broadcast on five medium wave (MW) frequencies, all of which from what I understand are off the air. They responded with QSL cards, which are seen below, for the reception reports sent to them. All of their MW outlets could be heard with little or no difficulty in southern Germany.
Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR) or Südfunk was a German public broadcaster serving the northern part of the state of Baden-Württemberg from 1949 to 1998. The networks headquarters were in Stuttgart. The network had numerous MW and FM transmitter throughout its broadcast area. They also had a shortwave outlet on 6030 kHz. I had the fortune to pick up a good share of them, and the network responded with QSL cards for the reception reports I sent to them.
Click on the thumbnails below to better views of the QSL cards.
Heissischer Rundfunk is a public broadcasting network serving the German state of Hesse. Its radio network consists of several audio streams. They broadcast on FM on numerous transmitters throughout Hesse and medium wave on 594 kHz on two different transmitters (Frankfurt and Hoher Meißner.) The MW transmission was easily audible in Southern Germany. We heard the FM outlets in our July 1989 trip to Northern Germany. The main station in Frankfurt responded to my reception reports with the QSL cards seen below. Their website is here.
Click on the thumbnails for full views of the QSLs.
Hessischer Rundfunk Headquarters
Hessischer Rundfunk Info
Frankfurt/Hoher Meißner
594 kHz
Hessischer Rundfunk 3 Großer Feldberg im Taunus Sonne89.3 MHz
Hessischer Rundfunk
Tower at Großer Feldberg im Taunus Sonne
Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR) is a public broadcaster for the German state of Saarland. Their radio network consists of five programming streams. The radio programs are transmitted on several transmitters throughout Saarland. SR used to broadcast on medium wave on 1422 kHz until 1994. The network Deutschlandfunk took over the channel on 1 January 1995.
We heard the SR1 Europawelle network on some of their transmitters during our July 1989 trip. Below are the QSL cards they sent in response to my reports.
Europe 1, formerly known as Europe N° 1, is a privately owned French language radio network which has an extensive FM radio network throughout France and a longwave transmitter in Felsberg, Germany on 183 kHz. The longwave outlet is widely heard in Europe, and can be heard in North America under good conditions. The QSL here is for its long wave outlet when it was on 182 kHz. Think I may send a report reception for the 183 kHz channel.
Although its primary audience is in France, it is the oldest private radio station in Germany.
Deutschlandfunk is a German public broadcasting network which specializes in current affairs and news. They have an extensive network of FM stations throughout the country and several MW (AM) stations. They have broadcast on longwave and shortwave in the past, but these outlets have closed down.
They were an easy catch on MW when we lived in Southern Germany. I sent a report of their shortwave outlet for which they returned a QSL card. They also sent QSLs for two longwave, five medium wave, and one FM outlets. I recently heard their 1422 outlet here in Maryland for which they verified my reception report.
Bayerischer Rundfunk is a “public service” broadcaster for the German state of Bayern (Bavaria). As they were a local station to where we lived near Munich and they were a good QSL verifier, I decided what the heck, I would send them reception reports. In addition to the FM and MW outlets I heard in Germany, I also verified them on shortwave (6085 kHz) from Maryland.
I ended up with 16 FM stations, two MW stations, and one SW station verified by them.
(Click on the thumbnails for full views of the QSLs)
BRF
Hof
530 KHz
Bayerischer Rundfunk
Dillberg/Ismaning
801 kHz
BRF 1
Grunten
90.7 MHz
BRF 3
Hoher Bogen
94.7 MHz
Bayerischer Rundfunk
BRF 3
Grunten
95.8 MHz
BRF 3
Hochberg
95.9 MHz
BRF 3
Inntal
95.9 MHz
BRF 3
Kreuzberg
96.3 MHz
Büttelberg
99.3 MHz
Bayerischer Rundfunk
BRF 3
Ismaning
97.3 MHz
Brotjackriegel
94.4 MHz
Hohe Linie
99.6 MHz
Ochsenkopf
99.4 MHz
When we lived in Germany in the late 1980’s, we would take weekend trips to different parts of Germany and surrounding countries. If we were within range of AFN stations we would try to listen to them. The blog below captures some of our experiences in listening to AFN stations throughout Germany.
(NOTE: Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see all of the QSLs and clips. You will need to click on the arrows to hear the audio clips. )
Hope you enjoy!
AFN Munich
When we lived in Southern Germany, AFN Munich was the station we listened to most often. There were several stations in their network. The QSL is for their 1107 kHz outlet.
AFN Munich
1107 kHz
Munich
1987
Transmitter
Frequency
Power
On the air status
Munich-Imaning
1107 kHz
40 kW
off in 2005
Augsburg
1485 kHz
1 kW
off in 1998
Berchtesgaden
1485 kHz
300 W
off-the-air
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
1485 kHz
300 W
on-the-air
Augsburg
100.0 MHz
15 kW
off-the-air
I remember listening to AFN Munich on a local transmitter while in Bad Tölz, so I believe there may have been a transmitter there as well, or perhaps it was just a good signal from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen outlet. In any event, I can’t find a reference to a station there.
AFN Frankfurt
AFN Frankfurt
AFN Frankfurt first came on the air in 15 August 1945 and signed off in October 2013 after the reduction of US troops in Germany.
Being on a relatively clear channel, they were an easy catch in southern Germany. This QSL was for a report of the 873 kHz channel.
AFN Frankfurt on 873 kHz is the only AFN station that I have also heard in here in Maryland.
AFN Kaiserslautern
This clip was recorded on our July 1989 trip. The program was from AFN Kaiserslautern and the transmitter was located in Karlsruhe (1143 kHz 1 kW). This transmitter is now off the air. Another AFN station is also heard on the clip underneath the stronger signal from Karlsruhe.
AFN Kaiserslautern
1143 kHz
Karlsruhe
June 1989
AFN Stuttgart
We heard this AFN outlet while driving on the nearby Autobahn on our June 1989 trip. They sent this full data QSL card in return for my reception report.
AFN Bonn
This is another AFN station that we heard on our July 1989 trip. I don’t think this outlet had its own local programming, but instead relayed programming 24 hours per day from AFN Frankfurt. They sent this QSL for my reception report to AFN Headquarters. The transmitter was located in Bad Godesberg.
Radio Schleswig-Holstein is another station we heard on our July 1988 trip to Northern Germany. As I remember, their 100.0 MHz outlet in Hamburg put in a huge signal at the campground we stayed at near the border with Holland. They sent a QSL card for my reception report. The QSL card was also a sticker.
On a trip to the Black Forest, we picked up Radio RT4 on 103.4 MHz in September 1987. It is a local radio station in the Neckar-Alb area. They sent this QSL for my reception report. I am including a picture of the stick upon which their antenna is mounted. Now the station is called Antenne 1.Not sure how this card got stained.
We heard Radio FFN on a trip to Northwest Germany (where my Harms ancestors are from) in July 1988. These QSLs are for their transmitters in Lingen on 101.5 MHz and Aurich on 103.1 MHz. The Lingen transmitter serves the Ems area, and the Aurich transmitter serves the Meer (or Sea) area. Radio FFN is owned and operated by Funk und Fernsehen Nordwestdeutschland GmbH in Isernhager.
Before Antenne Bayern came on the air, Radio RPR was an easy catch on my car radio on the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. Below are three QSL cards and a letter I received from them for reception reports. They also send a sticker seen here to the right.
Radio Regional Heilbronn was a local radio station that came on the air in November 1987. We heard them while traveling through the area in May 1989. They responded to my reception report with this QSL.
Today the 100.1 MHz channel in Langenburg is occupied with Antenne 1 and the 103.2 MHz outlet in Hielbronn is being used by Radio Ton Heilbronn/Franken.
The friendly Radio M1 staff gave me a tour of their studio in 1987. They also gave me the sticker on the left as a souvenir of my visit.
Radio M1 format was reminiscent of US radio stations of the 1960’s, with a mixture of mostly U.S. pop music with some German selections. It was a fun station to listen to.
Radio M1 format was reminiscent of US radio stations of the 1960’s, with a mixture of mostly U.S. pop music with some German selections. It was a fun station to listen to.
The transmitter was located on the Olympiaturm (Olympic Tower) in München.
This station is no longer on the air and the frequency of 92.4 MHz in Munich is now occupied by at least three stations on a shared time basis.
(Click on the arrow below to listen to the recording of the station I made.)
I visited Radio Gong 2000 in Munich in June 1989 and got a nice tour of the studio. They gave me the sticker you see to the left here. I never sent them a reception report, so no QSL.
The transmitter was located on the Olympiaturm (Olympic Tower) in München.
You can listen to a recording of the station by clicking on the arrow below.
Radio Gong 2000
Munich
96.3 MHz
June 1989
Music, DJ talk, identification, and ad string
Radio Tele Rosenhiem sent this QSL letter for a 19 May 1989 reception of Radio Charivari Rosenheim on 96.7 MHz. The German Bundespost operated the transmitter which was located on a 60 meter tower at the Rosenheim train station. In addition to the QSL letter in German, they sent a handwritten note and a sticker.
Radio 7 102.5 MHz Wtthoh, Germany. Station staff sent two letters (one in English and one in German) and three stickers for my reception report (11 May 1989).
Linksrheinischen Rundfunk was a private radio station in the Mainz area. We tuned into them while passing through the area in July 1988. I am not sure on what frequency we heard them, but I believe it was 103.6 MHz. According to a couple of websites, the station has gone through several name changes before being integrated into the RPR1 radio network. The transmitter was reportedly located at Kalmit. It was also one of the first FM private radio stations in Germany.
If you can confirm the frequency, or know any details about the station, such as its transmitter power and studio location, please contact me (philcobill (at) verizon.net.)
Antenne Bayern transmits its programs over a network of transmitters throughout Bavaria (Bayern). After a period of test transmissions in the summer of 1988, they went on the air with their first official broadcast at 0600 Central European Time on 5 September 1988.
I sent a reception report for the first hour of their first official broadcast. In return, they verified my report and sent 10 stickers, each with a different frequency. You can see copies of the verifications and the stickers below. Additionally, I recorded a couple of their test transmissions. Check them out below.
Antenne Bayern a
Antenne Bayern Data Sheet
Antenne Bayern
Antenne Bayern 100.6
Antenne Bayern 101.5
Antenne Bayern 101.9
Antenne Bayern 102.0
Antenne Bayern 102.7
Antenne Bayern 103.2
Antenne Bayern 103.3
Antenne Bayern 103.5
Antenne Bayern 103,8
Antenne Bayern 104.4
Antenne Bayern – First Hour of Broadcast – Part 1
Zugspitze
102.7 MHz
5 September 1988 0555 MEZ
Antenne Bayern – First Hour of Broadcast – Part 2
Zugspitze
102.7 MHz
5 September 1988
Antenne Bayern – Test Transmission
Munich
101.3 MHz
June 1988
Antenne Bayern – Test Transmission
Traunstein
103.7 MHz
15 August 1988
Photo above: Ulmer Münster, a large church in Ulm, Germany – Tallest in the world from 1892 to 1901.
Radio Donau 1 was a low-powered (100 watts) station located in Neu Ulm, Germany. We heard it on 11 May 1989 while driving through. The frequency was 90.3 MHz and the transmitter power was 100 watts. The transmitter was located at Günzburg.
We heard this local radio station on 99.1 MHz at a campground in Balzers, Liechtenstein. According to the verification letter, the studio is in Buchs, Switzerland and the transmitter is located at Buchserberg. They were broadcasting a locally produced program with folk music when we heard then.
At the time there were no local stations in Lichtenstein and this was the closest one to it. The station first signed on the air on 2 June 1986. Radio Gonzen became Radio Ri for a while, and is now the station is called Radio FM1 Buchs.
We heard Radio Aktuel when driving through the St. Gallen area. Even though their transmitter was low-powered, it is interesting that they had a form letter verification printed out.
Their transmitter was located in Rotmonten.
Below is a clip of what we heard. It was station identification into news. Take a listen.
Radio Aktuell
St. Gallen-Rotmonten
92.9 MHz
27 June 1989
1600 Central European Time
When we lived in Germany we occasionally took weekend trips to Switzerland. While there I had fun doing a little DXing and band scanning. I also sent off reception reports for QSL verifications. Below is a gallery of QSLs that I received from the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation for receptions of their FM stations that we heard while traveling around the country. Many of the stations were heard at Interlaken, our favorite destination in Switzerland.
Of interest are a couple of QSLs for tunnel re-broadcasters. They received signals on the outside of the tunnel and re-broadcast them inside the tunnel.
In addition to the 39 QSL cards shown here, I received 15 verifications with an annotation on photocopes of my reports.
(Click on the thumbnails below for full views) (Audio clips below thumbnails – Scroll down)
SBC Logo
DRS 1
Bantiger
88.2 MHz
DRS 1
Bantiger
88.2 MHz
DRS 1
Baden Horndli
88.4 MHz
DRS (?)
Boltigen
89.3 MHz
DRS 1
Solothurn
89.7 MHz
Bernina Railway – Grisons
DRS 1
Biel-Mannlingen
90.2 MHz
DRS (?)
Langnau
90.5 MHz
DRS 1
St. Chrischona
90.6 MHz
Baregg
90.9 MHz
DRS 1
Baregg Tunnel
90.9 MHz
Radio Suisse Romande 1
Moron
91.2 MHz
Appenzell – Street Scene
DRS (?)
Hopflauen
91.4 MHz
DRS 1
Bonigen
91.5 MHz
DRS 3
Eggiwil
91.8
Radio Suisse Romande 1
Fribourg
91.9 MHz
DRS (?)
Solothurn
94.4 MHz
Lenburg Castle
DRS 1
Uetliberg
94.6 MHz
DRS 1
Gubrist Tunnel
94.6 MHz
DRS 1
Niederhorn
94.7 MHz
Radio Suisse Romande 1
La Dôle
94.8 MHz
DRS 1
Balstal
95.3 MHz
Regensburg near Zürich
Radio Suisse Romande 1
Mount Pelerin
95.3 MHz
DRS (?)
Rosenburg Tunnel
96.0 MHz
Radio Suisse Romande 1
Hornfluh
96.0 MHz
DRS 1
Froburg
96.0 MHz
Radio Suisse Romande 1
Premier
96.2 MHz
DRS (?) Wassfluh 96.3 MHz
DRS 1
Winterthur
99.2 MHz
DRS 1
Säntis
99.9 MHz
DRS (?)
Buchserberg
100.8 MHz
RSR (?) Guggisberg102.1 MHz
Lake Lucerne, Central Switzerland
DRS 3
Valzeina
104.3 MHz
DRS 3
Valzeina
104.3 MHz
DRS 3
Geissholz
105.6 MHz
DRS 3
Säntis
105.6 MHz
DRS 3
Niederhorn
105.8 MHz
Matterhorn, Valais
DRS 3
St. Gallen
106.0 MHz
DRS 3
St. Gallen
106.0 MHz
DRS (?)
Klewenalp
107.0 MHz
(DRS ?)
Biel Magglingen
107.3 MHz
DRS 3
Pfander
107.5 MHz
St. Ursanne, Jura
DRS possibly in Langau on 90.5 MHz – 29 June 1989
Music, time pips, and morning 8:00 news by male announcer
DRS – 20 August 1988 – Music, time check for 17:00, and then DRS Nachrichten (News) by female announcer.
Radio Suisse Romande – La Premiere (RSR-1) – Music, identification, and two men talking (sporting event.)
Photo above of AFKN HQ Yongsan:
Courtesy of Thom Whetston – http://afrtsarchive.blogspot.com Below is my collection of audio clips of AFKN (American Forces Korea Network) that I recorded from 1984 to 1997. For the local affiliates, I tried to record their local programs. Sign-ons for FM and TV networks are also included.
AFKN Yongsan (용산) 102.7 MHz
Network Spot into Evening report at 6 PM
23 August 1984
Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN Yongsan (용산) 102.7 MHz
Network Spot into AFKN News at 7 PM
23 August 1984
Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN-TV Yongsan (용산) Channel 2
Sign on with Network details
24 August 1984 Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN Camp Casey via Camp Red Cloud (Ŭijŏngbu – 의정부)
Local program
5 September 1984 Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN Camp Casey (Tongduch’ŏn – 동두천) 1197 kHz
Network Feed – Swap Shop, Network Spot and News.
Then local program.
30 October 1984 Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN Munsan (문산) 576 kHz
Local Program
31 October 1984 Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN Osan (오산) 88.5 MHz
“Super Station” Local program
1 March 1990
Reception made in Osan (오산)
AFKN Pusan (부산) 783 kHz
Local Program – Southern Coast Morning Show
18 November 1989
Reception made in Pusan (부산)
AFKN Camp Humphreys (P’yŏngt’aek – 평택) 101.5 MHz
Local Program
23 December 1989 Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN Camp Humphreys (P’yŏngt’aek – 평택) 88.3 MHz
Local Program
28 February 1990 Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN Munsan (문산) 98.1 MHz
Local Program
15 March 1990 Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN Yongsan (용산) 102.7 MHz
Network Sign On
14 April 1990 Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN-TV Yongsan (용산) Channel 2
Sign on with network details
30 April 1990 Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN Pusan (부산) 99.3 MHz
Local Program “Southern Coast Morning Show”
17 June 1990
Reception made in Pusan (부산)
AFKN Yongsan (용산) 549 kHz
Local Spots and News
16 August 1990 Reception made in Seoul (서울)
AFKN Taegu (대구) 99.3 MHz
Local Program “Music Monster”
24 September 1990
Reception made in Taegu – (대구)
AFKN Camp Casey (Tongduch’ŏn – 동두천) 96.1 MHz
Local Program “Breakfast Club”
29 December 1990
Reception made in Tongduch’ŏn – (동두천)
AFKN Camp Humphreys (P’yŏngt’aek – 평택) 88.3 MHz
Boy Scouts on the radio
Local Program “Power 88”
27 June 1991
Reception made at Camp Humphreys (P’yŏngt’aek – 평택)
AFKN Pusan (부산) 88.5 MHz
Local Program – Eagle FM “Breakfast Club”
10 April 1997
Reception made in Pusan (부산)
Below are my AFKN QSLs that I collected over the years. The Army printed up some QSL cards for DXers who send reception reports. AFKN headquarters in Yongsan sent out QSL cards on postcard stock for my reports sent directly to them. I got my hands on a blank one and made several photocopies. Those were sent out with reception reports to the local, non-headquarters stations. Later on, I printed up my own prepared card. The reply rate was 100 percent regardless of where I sent the reports.
The American Forces Korean Network came into existence soon after the US troops landed in Inchon in September 1950. Since then it has undergone numerous changes. For further information about AFKN and its history, click here.
After a slight name change to American Forces Network Korea (AFN-Korea) in 2001 AFKN cease to exist. Since we left Korea in 1997, the network has undergone some format changes and some realignments of channels. But it is still the basic network serving the Department of Defense personnel in Korea. The network has a listenership and viewership among foreigners and among some Koreans.
Most of my reports were for receptions made in or near Seoul. But some of them were made on the road.
I hope you enjoy looking at them. I enjoyed collecting them.
(Click on the thumbnails below for larger views.)
Radio Japan has issued attractive QSL cards over the years. The earliest QSL shown here is from 1969. At that time, Radio Japan broadcast from only one site, Yamata, Japan. Since then, they have broadcast from over 20 different sites, mostly on lease agreements. In 1979 and the early 1980’s, I served as an official monitor for Radio Japan.
Sometime in the 1990’s, NHK changed the name of its overseas service from Radio Japan to NHK World Radio Japan. It is still the same station but with a slightly different name.
As of this writing, there are 52 different QSL issues for 17 different transmitter sites in my collection. I am sure more will be added in the future.
I read in a Popular Electronics Magazine that even AM stations sent QSL cards so I decided to stay up all night on 21/22 December 1969 to see what I could receive and maybe if things work out, send off reception reports. I had heard WCCO a few times before, and WWL a couple of times. But there had to be other stations out further east there. Sure enough, I heard WHAS for the first time ever. The next day, I spent some time writing the reception reports, and sent them off. A few weeks later, these cards arrived in my mail box!
I think I will pull an all nighter on 21/22 December 2019 to celebrate 50 years since I did it the first time, and try for QSLs from these same three stations. They are all still around in 2014, they should still be around in five more years.
This is my first QSL card. It bears a lot of battle scars from being tacked and taped to the wall. However, I still have fond memories about this card. As a kid, I always had an interest in listening to the radio. Besides the local stations, I began to notice that there were stations in between. Little did I know that that other people did this also as a hobby called DXing.
Well, my parents had this radio called a Grundig Satellite 2000 and I used to play around with it trying to figure out what all those strange stations were saying on the bands labeled SW. One day, I tuned to the 19 Meter Band and heard this exotic sounding music box tune being played over and over again with announcements in between. I heard an announcement in Japanese and then a man in English say “This is Radio Japan, the international broadcasting service of NHK in Tokyo.” Wow, what did I have here. Imagine a radio signal coming across the Pacific Ocean from Japan. I listened further to the whole program and at the end , the announcer asked for reception reports for which they would send a QSL card for correct ones. So, I did!
Well, after a few weeks, my mom told me I got a package from Japan. Wow, it came! I opened it up and found a program schedule, a Radio Japan Newspaper and the prized QSL card that you see above. I was hooked and the rest is history.
The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for Her Majesty’s Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. During our travels in Germany and the Netherlands, we listened to the BFBS when we were in range of their transmitters. Also, during Desert Storm, I happened to catch their shortwave transmission from Cyprus in 1991. They are an excellent QSL verifier. Their office in Köln, Germany verified my FM reception reports, and their office at Bridge House in London verified my shortwave reception.
