Galleries

WRNR-AM
Martinsburg, WV

WRNR-AM 740, Martinsburg, WV is what I would call to be a semi-local. They can be heard all day long, but the signal is not local quality and subject to co-channel interference mostly from WVCH and occasionally from CFZM on daytime skywave skip in the winter. Chief Engineer Rodney Rockwell, N8RAT sent this nice QSL letter for a reception report.

Radio 700 via Kall-Krekel
3985 kHz

Radio 700 using the transmitting facilities at Kall-Krekel was heard throughout much of Europe. One morning in 2014 when propagation was favorable and the noise floor was low, their 1 kW signal made it to Maryland. I reached out to the station with a reception report and they responded with the QSL card below.

BBC Radio Wales

BBC Wales was heard on two frequencies when we lived in Southern Germany in the 1980’s. The outlet on 882 kHz using high-powered transmitters was naturally easily heard. 1125 kHz outlet located at Llandrindod Wells was more difficult. This transmitter served the Powys, Mid Wales which relayed the main BBC Wales service and BBC Radio. It also transmitted local programming. The main station in Cardiff responded with the two QSL letters and a coverage map for my reception reports.


The 882 kHz outlet can be easily heard under good conditions along the East Coast of North America, if you are far enough away from the side channel interference from WCBS etc.

NHK Domestic Shortwave Outlets – JKQ21 and JKG21

In 1984 in Seoul, I managed to pick up two NHK domestic outlets on shortwave. NHK Kumamoto 6130 kHz (JKQ21) sent nice handwritten letter for a report of their transmission. NHK in Tokyo responded with a Radio Japan QSL card for a report of NHK Hiroshima 6175 kHz (JKG21). They put out fair signals into Seoul and were quite readable.

I am not sure but I believe these were links from the key stations to their subordinate stations.

TIS WQFG989 1710
Hudson County, New Jersey

Earlier this week, this verification of WQFG989 operated by the Hudson County Office of Emergency Management arrived in our mailbox. The station was mostly in the clear on 1710 kHz so it might be possible to hear it on the West Coast of North America, or at a high latitude listening post in Europe. Thank you to Coordinator Jim Woods for taking the time to type up and send this letter.

Northsound Radio
Aberdeen, Scotland
1035 kHz

Northsound Radio put in a clear signal on 1035 kHz into Southern Germany on occasion. I decided to send them a report one time when they were especially strong. They responded with the QSL card and letter below.

Northsound Radio first signed on 1035 kHz in 1981. in 1995, the station split into two services, Northsound 1 and Northsound2. Northsound 1 broadcast on FM and Northsound 2 stayed on the MW band. Northsound 2 left the MW band in April 2018 and became a digital only station. Northsound 1 currently transmits on FM and as a digital station.

Radio Sala
via Radio Rivivel

I don’t know that much about this station. I happened across them one day on 9405 kHz. It looks like an FM station called Radio Sala relaying their programs on a pirate station called Radio Revivel. My question is who is Radio Revivel. ??? If you know more about what is happening please make a comment.

Christian Broadcasting System – CBS
기독교방송

South Korea’s Christian Broadcasting System (CBS/기독교방송) is a nationwide radio radio network. Beginning with HLKY in Seoul in 1954 on AM, the network spread to five stations by 1961 (Seoul, Iri (now Jeonju), Gwangju, Daegu, and Pusan.) Today the radio network consists of the original AM and numerous FM outlets serviced by three network programming feeds and 13 regional stations.

Over the years they sent QSL cards for my reception reports of all five of the AM outlets. I visited all of the AM stations except the one in Gwangju.

For audio clips scroll down below the QSLs.

AUDIO CLIPS

HLKY 837 kHz Seoul
14 June 1990 9:00 AM KST. (0000 UTC)
CBS Campaign, weather, top of hour identification, ad for Hyundai Electronics, time pips sponsored by Hyundai Electronics, and new program.


HLKY 837 kHz Seoul
22 June 1990 4:55 AM KST (1955 UTC)
Full Sign On


HLKT 1251 kHz Daegu
18 November 1989 9:00 AM (2300 UTC)
End of ad for a Boiler, program preview, TOH identification, CBS song, time pips and local programming.

HLKP 1404 kHz Pusan
17 June 1990 3:00 PM (0600 UTC)
Program preview, TOH identification, spot for Hyundai Electronics, time pips, more programming.

Swiss Radio International

Swiss Radio International (SRI) was a fixture on the shortwave bands in its heyday. Who can forget their music box interval signal when they signed on? SRI was founded in 1935 and left shortwave in 2004. The Swiss international broadcast service continues on the internet using the moniker of SwissInfo.

Below is gallery of QSL cards collected from them over the years, including one from SwissInfo in 2003 (very bottom one in the gallery here). Beginning in the 1980’s they transmitted from various relay stations throughout the world in addition to their Switzerland sites.

JOUB NHK Radio 2
Akita 774 kHz

Nippon Hoso Kyokai’s (NHK’s) Radio 2 outlet in Akita on 774 kHz is an easy catch throughout much of the world. Their 500 kW flamethrower can put in a local like signal on the West Coast of North America and can make it inland with even modest equipment. I sent a reception report directly to the station in 1990 from Seoul and one to the NHK headquarters in Tokyo in 1980 from Utah. They replied with the QSL cards below.

JOUK NHK Radio 1
Akita 1503 kHz


Nippon Hoso Kyokai’s (NHK’s) Radio 1 outlet in Akita on 1503 kHz was an easy catch in Seoul (and probably still is). Their signal was usually rock solid and only had slight fading at sunset before the interfering stations to the west came in. I believe they also are a reliable station on the West Coast of North America. Anyway, with the caricature of an astronaut on the front side, this is one of my favorite Japanese MW QSL cards. They sent a QSL card and letter for my report to them in 1990. (Click on the thumbnail/link for more information.)

Has anyone received a QSL from them lately?

Busan MBC – 부산 MBC
HLKU 1161 kHz and FM

HLKU was the very first South Korean station I heard. I remember sitting in a barber chair in Busan my first day in Korea in December 1975 and hearing the slogan MBC on the radio playing in the background.

Over the years during our visits and stay in Korea, they could be easily heard in Seoul. I also made sure to tune them in when we visited Busan. They replied to my reception reports with the QSL cards seen below.

HLKU ( Busan Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation or Busan MBC or 부산문화방송) first signed on the air on 15 April 1959. HLKU currently operates on 1161 using 20 kW. MBC Busan also operates a television station and two FM stations.

Scroll for two audio clips from 1990 and QSL cards received from HLKU.

HLKU-FM 88.9 MHz 16 June 1990

HLKU-AM 1161 kHz on 18 June 1990

Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) Jeju-do
HLDA/HLAZ 1570/1566

The Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) has had a station on Jeju-do since 1973. It first came on the air in 1973 as HLDA on 1570 kHz. In 1979, it changed its frequency to 1566 kHz and a few months later changed its callsign to HLAZ.

HLAZ may be the most widely heard medium wave station from South Korea. They could be heard during the daytime all year round in Seoul, a distance of about 300 miles. They are a reliable signal on the West Coast of North America and in Europe in the winter.

I heard HLDA in 1976 when I lived in Daegu and sent a reception report. They responded with the QSL on the top of the gallery below. Subsequently, I sent two reception reports to them when I lived in Utah. According to Jack Lentz in a 1982 letter, my reception in Utah was the furthest east reception of HLAZ as of that time.

Also please take the time to listen to the audio clips to hear what they sound like in Seoul. And scroll down to see all the QSLs I received from them. At the very bottom is a photo of me standing near their transmitter site in Jeju-do

HLAZ English language broadcast from 1984 recorded in Seoul
(Starts after sign off announcement in Korean)


HLAZ sign off in Russian and full sign on in Korean


CBI 1140
Sydney, Nova Scotia

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) English Language outlet for the Maritimes signed on the air in 1948 on 1570 kHz. In 1955, CBI moved to 1140 kHz where it remains as of this writing. There are plans for CBI to vacate 1140 kHz to complete a move to FM. However, this has not happened because of issues regarding adequate coverage.

CBI occasionally dominates the channel here in Maryland, overpowering WRVA in Richmond VA. They replied to my reception report with the QSL card seen below.

CBE 1550
Windsor, Ontario

CBE’s predecessor CRCW signed on the air in 1935 broadcasting English language Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) programming in Windsor. Between 1939 and 1950, CBC English programming was carried on the private station CKLW. In 1950, CBE came on the air as CBC’s outlet in Windsor on 1550 kHz. In 2011, CBE left the AM band and CBE’s programming continued on FM.

CBE 1550 would blast into Maryland at night with an almost local like signal. They responded to my 1997 report with this nice QSL card as seen below.

CBL 740
Toronto, Ontario

CBL was the English language outlet for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for Toronto for many decades. CBL’s predecessor CKGW signed on in 1925 on 910 kHz. After some frequency moves and call sign changes, CBL settled on 740 kHz in 1941. In June 1999, CBL vacated 740 kHz. CBC’s FM outlet 99.1 MHz was assigned the call sign CBLA-FM after CBL-740 left the air

CBL would sneak in on 740 on winter mornings when I lived in Spokane and in Utah. I sent them a report from Spokane in 1977 and they sent me the QSL below

CBK 540
Regina, Saskatchewan

I understand that CBK may have the largest groundwave coverage of any station in Canada. That is believable. I heard them with readable signals in Spokane and Utah all day long. And they have been heard even further by other listeners. At night they can be the channel dominant throughout much of North America.

They sent this nice QSL card for my reception report.

CBM 940
Montreal, Quebec

CBM was the longtime English language Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) anchor in Montreal, Quebec on 940 kHz. Today, 940 in Montreal is occupied with CFNV, which uses a Francophone news/talk format. They were an easy catch in Maryland in the 1980’s. I heard them a few times in Utah and once in Spokane.

In 1983, Lee Fortune of CBM sent the QSL card below for my reception report.

KTWO 1030
Casper Wyoming

KTWO first signed on the air in January 1930 on 1470 kHz. In 1967, they moved to 1030 kHz. With their 50 kW blowtorch (directional at night and non-directional in the daytime, they can get out well throughout Western North America. They have even made it to my Maryland listening post a couple of time with WBZ nulled. However, more recently, reception in Western North America is more difficult because of stations which have subsequently signed on.

I first heard them in Spokane in 1969 and they responded to my reception report with the QSL below.

WEAQ 790
Eau Claire, Wisconsin

WEAQ 790 made to my listening post in Utah several times in the 1980’s, mainly on my roadside Beverage antennas. While on vacation in Minneapolis, I decided to send them a reception report and they responded with this QSL card.

WTAQ, WEAQ’s predecessor, first signed on in 1937. In 1996, WEAQ and WAVY swapped frequencies, the former to 1150 kHz and the latter to 790 kHz.

WWVA 1170
Wheeling, West Virginia

WWVA in Wheeling, West Virginia first signed on the air on 13 December 1926. From 1933 to 2008, WWVA was the home to the Original Wheeling Radio Jamboree (formerly Jamboree USA), the second-longest running program in radio history. The station’s format was country music until 1997 when the station’s owners switched to talk radio. The Jamboree program continues on the low power FM station WVOV-LP 101.1 in Wheeling.

WWVA beams its signal mainly to the east and can be heard in a large area on the East Coast of North America. I decided to send them a reception report just after we moved to Maryland, and they responded with the QSL card and letter below.