"It's not true I had nothing on, I had the radio on" - Marilyn Monroe
As I wrote to Jim: “If you would have asked me if there would be Trance on Shortwave… I would have said no.” But with good quality reception via Channel 292 it is possible, although it my wife who goes to trance festivals with me preferring to stay behind the radio.
Within a day I got this nice fully detailed QSL from Jim for my reception report of SJTJ on Channel 292, Germany. Sunny Jim (Jim Salmon) has a very nice website about his radio adventures.
Maybe it is “old man” emotional, but then again. In Germany they are destroying communication infrastructure like they are destroying energy infrastructure, while at the same time they tell us “we are at war with Russia”.
So in Mainflingen (well known to us DX-ers) 3 antennas went down. Their demise can be seen in this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pA9vgduChA
Mainflingen is the home of DCF77, the time signal station that transmits on 77.5 kHz. And no worries… DCF77 is still alive and kicking. But Mainflingen was also the backup station for the Deutschlandfunk, broadcasting from Donebach on 153 kHz. And of course I QSL-ed this station in the 80-ies… but rather than 153 it had 155 kHz on the QSL. Was it the backup from Mainflingen I received 46 years ago?
Another thing I didn’t know but found out: the antennas in Mainflingen are part of the logo of the community of Mainhausen which Mainflingen is a part of.
A QSL for the reception of Radio Radio via Channel 292, Rohrbach, Germany on 9670 kHz. The QSL address was the same as for The Ghoul: differentradio@yahoo.co.uk .
I listened to a program with middle of the road pop music and invitations send a reception report and apply for a QSL.
A QSL from KSET on 6160 kHz. No not, a US call sign, but a program from Imaginary Stations via Shortwave Gold, Winsen on 6160 kHz.
Imaginary Stations makes an effort to build each program around a specific theme.
This time music released on audio tape ony was played: “Imaginary Stations celebrates the analog renaissance with KSET, K-S-E-T, dedicated to the fascinating world of audiotapes… Tune in and unwind with us .. on some of the coolest cassettes to be found anywhere. Hey can you hand me that pencil?”.
Those who are as old as I am will remember that you indeed used a pencil to rewind the tapes by sticking a pencil in one of the spools.
The call sign KSET is another gimmick of Imaginary Stations. They often use a name that not only refers to the program content, but also suggests a US or Canadian call sign. Their next show on November 22nd/23rd is called CMDY.
Italy has lots to offer for the medium wave enthusiast. Radio Studio X is broadcasting with 5 kW from Momigno near Pistoia in Tuscany, Italy. Two other frequencies are listed as 1485 kHz from Livorno and 1584 kW from Arezzo, both with 1 kW. However, MW-List shows these as “inactive”. The station pioneered AM stereo transmissions in C-QUAM format.
I tried to QSL them earlier, but without success. This time I used the qsl@radiostudiox.it address and QSL manager Stefano replied within a day.
Radio Studio X is a beloved independent station renowned for its nostalgic embrace of 80s and 90s dance, pop, and electronic music. It delivers an infectious playlist of classic hits alongside lesser-known gems that delight longtime fans and DJ enthusiasts alike.
With its streaming app, online museum showcasing vintage radio and music memorabilia, and a vibrant Facebook community, Radio Studio X embodies the enduring spirit of Italy’s freewheeling pirate radio heritage, providing 24/7 grooves that transport listeners back to the neon-lit dancefloors of yesteryear while maintaining a quirky, community-driven charm in the digital age.
As far as I know there are 4 stations active on DSC watch 2187.5 kHz from Turkey. Earlier I received replies from Istanbul Radio, Samsun Radio and Izmir Radio. So when I received a test confirmation from Antalya Türk Radio on a test message of tanker ADRIA in the eastern Mediterranean I hoped to put a “crown” on my Türk Radio QSL collection.
Unfortunately contrary to the other QSLs which contained a polite and detailed confirmation, this one was just an “It’s true” message… More text than my Buenos Aires Radio QSL, that’s true… and if anything I’m grateful for the reply.
Radio Metropolis broadcasts with 1 kW from Trieste, Italy. Despite relatively low power it is not a difficult catch. And I have a soft spot for that deep voice announcing “Radio Metropolis”. The only thing I observe is that they are often subject to deep fading like the other low power Italian stations.
I tried to QSL them in the past, but I was never succesful. Until I learned last week that my friend Antonello Napolitano, known for his DX-fanzine bulletins, is hosting a DX show. And he was so kind to QSL my report.
This is what Antonello wrote:
As you may be aware I am the producer and host of a DX show in Italian called “Bande Rumorose” carried over 5 italian MW stations (Radio Metropolis, Radio Briscola, Emmereci Radio or Media Radio Castellana, Power 927 and Radio centrale Milano). If you listen to “Bande Rumorose” on any of the above mentioned stations and send me a reception report I will verify it with a specific e-QSL.
For the sake of good order, let me add that reports based on reception via public remote SDR receivers (Twente, Kiwi and so on) will not be verified. The reason is simple: such reports are useless as we can check such receivers by ourselves. Last but not least, I want to recognize the efforts made by true DXers for picking up the signals from those Italian stations.
“Bande Rumorose” is also distrubuted via its channel on youtube which can be found at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/@BandeRumorose-x3w
The program, which I describe as an old style DX show, consist of DX News, profile and/or history of both, MW and SW; stations from allover the world, interviews with DXers and shortwave personalities (for example Dino Bloise) and logs of recently received medium and short wave stations (some of them accompanied by good quality recording of their jingles or station identification announcements!).
“Bande Rumorose” is on air as follows (All times CET = UTC+1 hour):
• Emmerreci Radio, Castel San Pietro Terme (BO), Sundays, at 1100, Fridays at 2300 on 711 e 1098 kHz.
• Power 927, Abbiategrasso (MI), Sundays at 1100, Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays, at 2100 on 927 kHz.
• Radio Briscola, Lenta (VC), Sundays, at 1100 e 1830 on 1449 kHz.
• Radio Centrale Milano, Milano, Sundays, at 1030, Mondays, at 2300 on 1575 kHz.
• Radio Metropolis, Trieste, Sundays, at 2205 on 1503 kHz and 93.90 MHz FM for the city of Trieste.
Reception reports are welcome (Short mp3 recordings appreciated) to: banderumorose@dxfanzine.com
But I still received a nice new Transatlantic Station: WQBA from Miami!
1140 AM is the channel on which I typically receive CBI “CBC Radio One” from Nova Scotia, Canada. But this time I heard a few Latin American songs, and a clear ID “11-40 AM” in Spanish. I wasn’t sure about the station call though (in hindsight I didn’t recognize the American “Double – U” as I was focused on Spanish and so I didn’t even realize that the call sign was pretty well audible). The four songs I heard were all by singers from Puerto Rico. The only station from Puerto Rico on this frequency, WQII “Once Q”, was listed as “inactive”.
So as their website seemed “alive and kicking” I sent a report to Mr. Jose Cheo Cruz and received a confirmation within an hour… so it seemed that it really was “Once Q”, currently still at low power, soon to be heard a full power.
Now we might miss the traditional QSL card these days, but it is so much easier to connect with other DX-ers around the world. So I posted my “alleged” reception “for comments”. Both Mauno Ritola from MW-list and Guido Schotmans from the Benelux DX Club pointed out that it was WQBA “El Pulso de Miami” I heard. Mauno was so kind to include the recording below, and if you compare it to mine it is clear is was WQBA. As I experienced with other stations: “If you now what to hear, it is so easily recognizable”.
Disappointing? Maybe, but it is still a new Transatlantic station for me. The only thing is: will I get it QSL-ed?
During the CLE-321 event I heard 5 new beacons from the north coast of Iceland. Beacons from the south and south-west are heard more often here in the Netherlands. My guess is that they benefit from transmission over water. This time there were excellent conditions to the Arctic regions allowing me to pick up these beacons including NDB 340-GJ Gjogur Airport.
Earlier I wrote about the two beacons serving Akureyri Airport, a bigger international airport. This post is about 340-GJ for Gjogur Airport, or Gjögurflugvöllur.
Gjogur is one of the airports that is purely there for the benefit of the local population, most likely sponsored by the Icelandic government. It is staffed part-time by an AFIS controller, and only opens for Norlandair flights, which are twice a week in the winter and once a week in the summer. In the winter, the airport is the only means of access to the entire district, as the access road is impassable.
There is a very nice slideshow “Descent into the Fjord” by Rajan Parrikar available on the internet that gives a nice impression of a flight to Gjogur Airport.
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