Having lived in Canada for 4 years I still remember Canada Day celebrations. So I had to tune in to the special Canada Day program of Pop Shop Radio via 9670 kHz, Channel 292 in Germany. My reception report was awarded with a nice eQSL reflecting the spirit of a typical Canada Day event.
Canada Day is seen as the birthday of Canada. It marks the anniversary of Canadian Confederation — the day in 1867 when the British North America Act united three separate colonies (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada) into a single country called the Dominion of Canada. Originally referred to as Dominion Day it was renamed into Canada Day in 1982. It symbolizes the birth of modern Canada as a self-governing nation, although full independence came gradually later.
My first OIRT Band QSL for Radius FM, broadcasting from Minsk, Belarus on 72.11 MHz with 9 kW. Via office(at)radiusfm.by I received a fully detailed email in Dutch:
QSL email, in Dutch (!) for my reception of Radius FM, Belarus on 72.1 MHz
Radius FM was launched on July 12, 2003, in Minsk, Belarus. Despite it’s commercial contemporary youthful style it is is part of the Belarusian National State Television and Radio Company. As such it falls under the umbrella of the state media structure, which is directly overseen by the Office of the President of Belarus. This explains its extensive nationwide coverage and status as a major network. The Minsk transmitter on 72.1 MHz is the only outlet in the OIRT band, all other frequencies are in the regular FM band.
Today, more than two decades after its debut, Radius FM continues as a leading hit radio brand, blending current international and local pop music with digital streaming, a mobile app, and strong social media presence. It has evolved while staying true to its core identity as “the wave of top music.”
Hello to all the followers of this humble DX blog.
You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been a bit less active lately. Nothing to worry about, the reason is that our new house is nearing completion. So there are a lot of other activities that keep me busy.
The good news is that I’m getting a fantastic shack—hopefully in a QRM-free location as it is pretty rural. The first coax cables are already waiting for me 😉.
The BBC Radio 4 long wave service from the Droitwich transmitting station has come to a quiet but historic end. For decades, the powerful 198 kHz signal beamed out from the iconic Wychbold masts near Droitwich in Worcestershire, reaching across the UK and deep into Europe. Together with auxiliary transmitters at Burghead and Westerglen in Scotland, it formed a resilient national network that ensured Radio 4 could be heard in remote areas, at sea, and even in parts of Ireland and mainland Europe where other signals faltered.
My recording of the last minutes of BBC4 via the Droitwich Long Wave transmitter
The closure on 27 June 2026 at 01:00 BST marked the final broadcast after the Shipping Forecast and “Sailing By,” followed by a poignant sign-off. A looped retuning message played briefly before the transmitter was powered down permanently on 30 June. This brought to an end 92 years of long wave transmissions from the site, which began in 1934 with the BBC National Programme and later carried the Light Programme, Radio 2, and finally Radio 4 from 1978. The aging equipment, including hard-to-replace high-power valves, had simply reached the end of its operational life, prompting the BBC to prioritise cost savings and digital alternatives.
The Droitwich 700 ft antenna masts
This switch-off represents the end of an era for British broadcasting. Long wave offered unparalleled coverage and reliability for generations of listeners, from wartime audiences to farmers checking the Shipping Forecast or night-shift workers tuning in. Its low-frequency waves could travel hundreds of miles by hugging the ground and reflecting off the ionosphere, a technological marvel in its time. While FM, DAB, and online streaming now dominate, the loss of this analogue lifeline has prompted nostalgia and even a campaign to heritage-list the towering 700-foot masts as symbols of a bygone broadcasting age. Droitwich’s silence closes a chapter that began nearly a century earlier, reminding us how technology evolves while leaving behind a rich auditory heritage.
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