The Moosbrunn shortwave antenna is no more since January this year. Fortunately I was able to get a confirmation of my reception of ORF Radio Ö1 broadcasting via Moosbrunn.
It is sad to see the destruction of the Moosbrunn facilities just after the celebration of 100 years radio in Austria. CARO, the Club Amateur Radio ORF, aired a special centennial broadcast on 6055 kHz in October 2024. It took a while (no problem, after all it is all volunteers work), but this week I received the beautiful eQSL.
I listened to a rebroadcast of an interview with Prof. Harranth who was the curator of the Dokumentationsarchiv „Funk“ (Radio) with 6 million items about Austrian radio history.
CARO sent the following accompanying message with the QSL:
The ORF Amateur Radio Club (a division of the ORF Sports Association, known as CARO) organized a series of broadcasts following the announcement of the demolition and decommissioning of the large shortwave transmitting station in Moosbrunn. These broadcasts paid tribute to the station’s decades-long successful operation. Some of these audio programs can be replayed via CARO’s website: https://www.oe1xrw.radio
Additionally, the website offers a comprehensive documentation of the former station’s history for those wishing to read or view more about it.
For many years, Moosbrunn stood as a symbol of Austria’s positive global image and the voice of its people. The station housed a dedicated shortwave editorial team — first under Radio Österreich International (ROI), later under a modified retransmission of standard ORF radio content.
Among the broadcasts were several historical retrospectives, including a program commemorating 100 years of radio in Austria. A particularly notable feature was an unpublished interview with the late Prof. Wolf Harranth, who passed away in 2021. In it, Harranth candidly explained the political, social, and technical background of the founding of ORF’s predecessor, Radioverkehrs AG (RAVAG).
Following the final transmission by Radio Dessau on 31 December 2024, deconstruction of the Moosbrunn site began in early 2025. First to be brought down was the globally unique, 70-meter-high and equally wide rotatable curtain array antenna, followed by other remaining structures like the log-periodic antenna and the “Reusenantenne”. The transmitter building was cleared. Discussions are underway regarding future use of the property, including possible 5G technology experiments.
In total, nearly 1,000 reception reports were received across the two final broadcasts (October and December 2024), including several hundred written and email confirmations. Because it was initially unclear whether the site might be preserved, the sending of QSL confirmations was delayed. Eventually, a dedicated CARO QSL team was formed, with Wolfgang OE3OBB managing electronic confirmations.
CARO sincerely thanks everyone for their confirmation reports and long-standing loyalty to the Moosbrunn transmitter — many of which spanned several decades.
We wish you good health and continued success.
Club Amateur Radio ORF, Vienna
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