Peter's DX Corner

The wonderful world of listening to the radio

Month: February 2023

QSL Smooth Radio 1359 kHz

February 28, 2023 / / 1 Comment

I got a kind email reply from Kelsey at “Global” via Customer.Support@global.com confirming today’s reception of Smooth Radio 1359 kHz from Baker’s Wood, United Kingdom. I’m really grateful for the reply, many of todays modern network stations don’t seem to bother.
Older radio enthusiasts know that this station started back in 1981 as Essex Radio when Independent Local Radio was introduced. I have a 1983 QSL from them. In 1989 they were forced to split AM and FM operation and they continued as Breeze AM and Essex FM (later Heart). In 1996 I received the Breeze QSL.
Fast forward 30 years and now it is called “Smooth Radio” which is part of “Global”. “Global” is also operating iconic stations like Capital Radio and LBC…

Smooth Radio started as Essex Radio in 1981.

QSL Radio Paradijs 1476 kHz

February 27, 2023 / / 2 Comments

A QSL Radio Paradijs, 1476 kHz. This LPAM station with 100 Watts is located at 16 kilometers distance from my QTH in Utrecht, the Netherlands. And indeed, as stated on the QSL email I received today I can receive this station on a pocket radio as well.

QSL Radio Paradijs 1467 AM: just 16 kilometers away!

Coordinated Listening Event

February 27, 2023 / / 1 Comment

Since a few weeks I’m member of “NDB list“, a must have for all NDB, DSC, Navtex fans. The NDB group organizes CLE’s, Coordinated Listening Events. Aim is to log as many NDBs in a certain frequency range over a period of 3 days.
Target for the 289th CLE was 270-320 kHz. Now I do like NDB hunting, but this is not my favourite part of the band with lots of noise and QRM from DGPS stations. And last night’s Aurora did not make things much better. I finished with a disappointing 4 logs only:

293 OB Brussel (BEL)
311 LMA Lintfort (G)
315 HOL Villacoublay (F)
319 VS Valenciennes (F)

All I can hope for is a better result next time!

Tiny QSL: Shanghai Radio XSG 8665 kHz

February 26, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Today was a slow day, I’m the middle of an NDB “contest” that doesn’t bring much sofar…(more about that tomorrow). So time to dig into my QSL collection for something special! I believe this is my tiniest QSL. Oh irony, it is from one of the biggest countries in the world: China! Funny fact: it came in a regular sized envelope!
In those days maritime stations were broadcasting CW markers which made long distance reception relatively easy despite limited transmitter power.

The smallest QSL card in my collection: Shanghai Radio XSG

QSL Radio Romania Actualitati 567 kHz

February 25, 2023 / / 0 Comments

I sent a reception report on the Radio Romania Actualitati program on mediumwave 567 kHz to the central email addresses of Radio Romania: relatii.public@radioromania.ro and comunicare@radioromania.ro.

Yesterday I received this nice Radio Romania International QSL card plus sticker.

QSL Radio Romania Actualitati
QSL Radio Romania Actualitati

QSL Grimeton SAQ 17.2 kHz

February 24, 2023 / / 0 Comments

The VLF Grimeton transmitter in Sweden was in the air on February 13th celeberating “World Radio Day”. This truly is a heritage station, recognized by UNESCO as such. During the event they ran a YouTube Video to show you what it takes to bring a 100 year old transmitter to life… The transmission was – of course – in Morse Code. This e-QSL card marks the lowest frequency I’ve ever received in my DX-ing career!
Learn more about Grimeton on: https://grimeton.org/?lang=en

QSL Grimeton SAQ, Sweden, 17.2 kHz

Icon lost: QSL RTL Beidweiler 234 kHz

February 24, 2023 / / 1 Comment

RTL, one of the most powerful transmitters on long wave went “off air” with their French programme from Luxembourg on January 2nd this year to save electricity. The percentage of listeners on long wave didn’t justify the electricity bill, which equalled the power consumption of 3000 people. So this is probably one of their last QSL cards for the Beidweiler station… I feel sad, as this was one of the stations on the long wave dial of my first receiver, the Nordmende Traviata (as you can see on the header picture of this blog).
More about the history of this station: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beidweiler_Longwave_Transmitter

QSL RTL Beidweiler 234 kHz

QSL Aasiaat Radio 2187.5 kHz

February 24, 2023 / / 3 Comments

Receiving QSLs from remote places around the globe is always nice. So I was very pleased to receive this QSL from Aasiaat Radio, Greenland following a reception of a DCS test message on 2187.5 kHz. Bo Mogensen on oyr@tusass.gl was so kind to reply to my report. Initially I thought I received Qaqortoq Radio on the basis of the MMSI number 003311000 received, but Bo explained to me that MMSI numbers were rationalized following ITU recommendations, so this one belongs to Aasiaat now.

QSL Aasiaat Radio, Greenland
QSL Aasiaat Radio, Greenland

Back to my DX hobby!

February 23, 2023 / / 0 Comments

I got into DX-ing – listening to remote radio stations – in 1979, when I was 17 years old. Those were the days we were experimenting with illegal 3-meter homemade transmitters with which you could connect with classmates after school. Mind you, we had no mobile phones, no internet, and no WhatsApp or something in those days!
Fortunately I never got caught by the police. What did catch me though was the radio virus… because what else was there to be heard on the radio bands??? The obsolete family radio, a Nordmende – the one you see in the header of this site – had al these remote locations on the dial… and so it started…

Family life, work, other hobbies resulted in less hours spent behind the receiver in the new millenium. But after I retired from work that radio virus got me again. Obviously, a lot has changed. Tropical wave bands are almost empty these days and the dominant language on the short wave bands seems to be Chinese. But there are new opportunities as well. With major broadcasters leaving medium wave, smaller stations can be heard. And then there is SDR… (and a lot of “computer mumbo jumbo” to be learned).
Lot’s of new worlds to explore! Interested? Join me on my journey via this blog!

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