During the Easter weekend I participated in the Pirate Hunt. One of the stations I received was Radio Zand on 4695 kHz. It was the first time I received this station from the Netherlands, but on the internet it gained some fame as “the 17-year old that was broadcasting on the Russian Buzzer frequency of 4625 kHz”.
My report to radiozand(at)protonmail.com was confirmed with a nice personal eQSL:
eQSL Radio Zand, the Netherlands, 4695 kHz
An interesting part of my reception of Radio Zand was their station ID in the SDR water fall. You can see this in the picture below, but check the video on my YouTube post.
It was my second attempt and but this time my report of a DSC transmission by CGTM Mar del Plata, Argentina on 8414.5 kHz was confirmed. I sent my report to mpla(at)prefecturanaval.gob.ar .
CGTM stands for Centro de Gestión de Tráfico Marítimo (Maritime Traffic Management Center). It is part of the Prefectura Naval Argentina (PNA). The CGTM are the operational centers responsible for the real-time monitoring and management of maritime traffic in Argentine waters.These centers act as Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) stations and coordinate, among other things:
tracking of ships via radar, AIS, and other systems,
providing information and advice to vessels,
coordinating search and rescue operations (SAR),
responding to emergency situations (such as breakdowns, flooding, or man-overboard incidents),
enforcing maritime safety and preventing incidents in ports, rivers, and sea areas.
There are multiple CGTM centers spread across the country. But as far as I know only those in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia and Ushuaia are active with a DSC watch on HF. With three of them confirmed Ushuaia is still on the to-do list.
Radio Caroline North was live from the Ross Revenge with an Easter special. I received them broadcasting via the 648 kHz 4 kW transmitter in Orfordness, United Kingdom. Despite the fact that I’m now living further away from the sea the reception quality was excellent, even during the day.
My report sent to north(at)radiocaroline.co.uk was confirmed by Alan:
Hello Peter,
Thank you for your report which has reached me. I can confirm that you have indeed received Radio Caroline North, live from the Ross Revenge, via 4G link, on 648Khz AM, April 4th 2026, at 14.31 hours. I’m often in Harlingen in Friesland so am familiar with how strong the signal is on the east coast of the North Netherlands, so good to know you get a good signal in the East towards the border. Hope you have enjoyed this weekends special programmes.
Regards, Alan
Their next program from the Ross Revenge is scheduled for 9-10th May. More info on their website.
Radio Argus is a pirate station based in the UK, broadcasting on shortwave 48 meter band, but recently also heard testing on 1431 and 1440 kHz. I was made aware of this station by Henry Poelman via the Benelux DX Club Facebook group. I heard them in the night between Sunday and Monday, 01:00 and 04:38 h UTC (no trace of Radio Regional from Italy). The program consisted of rock music presented by a male ID. After 2 hours the program was repeated as I heard the same songs again. Signal strength was not great, SINPO 24332.
Bert Bridges sent me a brief “thank you” email, stating that my reception report was useful as they were testing on various frequencies. And invited me to suggest a song to be played on the radio.
I’m not an expert on British pirate stations, but sources on the internet state that the transmission on 1440 AM might come from the London area with 20-40 Watts of power.
The function of this beacon is not immediately clear to me. I got no further than: primarily supports air navigation in the Bremen/Hamburg/Bremerhaven region of northern Germany. It is not aligned with any of the runways.
NDB WSN Weser located between Bremen and Hamburg (Skyvector)
The beacon can be observed from some distance at Google Streetview, south of Holste.
An eQSL from Radio Uniek. It was Hugo Matten who made me aware with his post that this pirate station says that they are broadcasting from Coevorden, my ‘temporary’ QTH until our new house is built. It is quite uncommon for radio stations to advertise their QTH, so maybe we should take it with a grain of salt. On the other hand: with the muncipality of Coevorden being almost 300 square kilometers you might wonder how much they really give away.
eQSL Radio Uniek, Coevorden, 1621 kHz
After I sent my report it was confirmed 5 minutes later, live in the broadcast:
A day later the eQSL was delivered in my inbox. Big thank you to Chris and Linda!
UPDATE: First time in 45 years that I got beer coasters for a reception report. Thank you Radio Uniek.
This week I received a QSL for my reception of Harbour Light of the Windwards. Mr. Randy Cornelius confirmed my report, apologizing that he was a little bit late. Which is no problem at all, as it just took a few weeks only.
We had a pleasant email conversation about radio history. Mr. Randy Cornelius wrote:
I was born in 1962 in Monrovia Liberia where my parents were working at ELWA radio. We later left Africa and went to Antigua here in the Caribbean in the early 70’s where my parents started another Christian radio station – Caribbean Radio Lighthouse. Then I joined my parents here in Carriacou, Grenada in 1990 to build the Harbour Light. I have been here ever since.
Now the nice thing is that I received ELWA Radio (and got their iconic QSL) and Carribean Radio Lighthouse as well. And this was not my first QSL for Harbour Light of the Windwards. In 1992 they replied to my reception report as well, and most likely it was Mr. Cornelius who replied. Unfortunately as given my relocation my QSL collection is in storage right now I don’t have access to my collection and can’t confirm, but I promised him to check as soon as possible.
My reception report was for a program of Pastor Hunt, in pretty good quality:
If you want to learn more about the transmitter of Harbour Light of the Windwards, you can consult this webpage.
NDB MYN on 371 kHz, the navigation beacon for Münster Osnabrück International Airport, Germany, was among the 4 old school QSL cards I received after 2 years.
QSL NDB MYN Münster Osnabrück 371 kHz
Münster Osnabrück Airport (FMO), traces its origins to 21 December 1966, when the cities of Münster, Osnabrück, and Greven, along with the districts of Münster and Tecklenburg, founded the Münster/Osnabrück Airport GmbH to serve the region’s growing transportation needs.
Construction began in 1968 with assistance from the British Army to clear the site for a runway. After five years of building, the airport officially opened on 27 March 1972, initially handling modest operations with propeller aircraft; the first charter flight followed in 1973. It gained international airport status in 1986 after runway extensions enabled larger jets like the Boeing 737, paving the way for Mediterranean holiday routes, while a new terminal opened in 1995 and Terminal 2 in 2002 to accommodate rising passenger numbers. Over the decades, FMO evolved into a resilient regional hub, achieving strong post-pandemic growth to exceed 1.25 million passengers annually by the mid-2020s, bolstered by leisure and domestic flights despite occasional setbacks.
I already got a reply from the headquarterss of Mittarfeqarfiit in Nuuk confirming my reception of NDB CP Nerlerit Inaat on 386 kHz. But it so much nicer to get a response from the Airport Manager of Nerlerit Inaat Aiport himself.
Mr. Mandrup was so kind so send me an envelope full of Nerlerit Inaat souvenirs. And I have to admit… visiting Greenland is on my bucket list.
Two years after I sent my report I received a beautiful QSL card from Deutsche Flugsicherung confirming my reception of NDB FS-374 Dresden.
A traditional QSL card for my reception of NDB FS 374 Dresden
There are still quite a few NDBs operational in Germany, even for large commercial airports like Dresden. NDB FS is located 4.5 miles (7.5 km) NE of Dresden International Airport in line with the runway. Below the Googlemaps images of the location:
Googlemaps pictures of NDB FS Dresden
Dresden Airport opened to commercial traffic on July 11, 1935. Driven by Germany’s rearmament program after 1933 it served as both a civilian and military airfield. Although initially designed for commercial use, its military significance grew rapidly during the Third Reich, and it served exclusively military purposes during World War II, including supporting an airlift to Breslau in 1945. After Soviet occupation at the war’s end, the airport remained under military control until extensive reconstruction and negotiations enabled the resumption of civilian operations on June 16, 1957, in the German Democratic Republic. International flights to Eastern Bloc countries restarted in 1959. Following German reunification in 1990, the airport modernized significantly—with a new terminal in 2001, runway extension in 2007, and rebranding as Dresden International—transforming into a regional hub serving tourism, business, and seasonal destinations.
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