A QSL CBEF 1550 “La Première” from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Thanks to Hugo Matten! I sent a report to cbef@radio-canada.ca twice. But twice all I got back was an acknowledgement by a CBEF employee that my email was received, and my request forwarded to the responsible team…. and that was all.
Hugo however got a direct reply from Mihai Bulgaru, Supervisor Transmission. So my third email went directly to Mihai. And yes he was so kind to reply to me as well, even referring to Hugo’s report:
Mihai included two nice photo’s of the station and transmitter site as well:
CBEF 1550 “La Première”, Windsor, Ontario
A big thanks to Mihai for the confirmation, and thanks to Hugo for sharing his QSL!
I got “Great!” as an answer on my reception report for Direct 107, a station broadcasting on 107.1 FM. Is it enough to count as a QSL or not? Probably not. But for me it is another nice souvenir from a holiday on Curaçao!
Nevertheless I’m still grateful to the people at the station for acknowledging my reception report. Nice logos on the email make up for the lack of detail! And I learned a new word in Papiamento: “Atministrashon”.
Direct 107 broadcasts in Papiamento, the language of the people on Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. On Curaçao it was recognized as an official language in 2007 (which is a bit late if you ask me). If you know a bit of Spanish and English you might be able to understand a bit of it. But the origin is Portuguese rather than Spanish. Which is a reminder of dark times when the Dutch “imported” slaves from the Portuguese colonies Cabo Verde, Senegal and Guinea Bissau to the islands.
Modern Papiamento is more a mixture of Spanish, English and Dutch though. There are 180.000 people on the islands that speak Papiamento. Together with the people from the islands that live in The Netherlands there are about 250.000 Papiamento speaking people in the world. I would have loved to send my report in Papiamento language, but there is no Google Translate for it…
Direct 107 is one out of two stations of Direct Media on FM. They also run a television program TV Direct13.
Maarten Schakel, station manager, was so kind to QSL Hitradio 915 Curacao. I submitted around 10 reception reports to various FM stations on Curacao. This was only the second report that got confirmed. Together with the email from Paradise FM it is the only detailed response I received so far.
I sent my report to info@hitradio915.com . Do visit the Hitradio 915 website. It is really very flashy and gives you that special Curacao holiday feeling: Bon Bini!
Since 2010 Curacao, a former Dutch colony, is an independent country. And thus the EDXC lists it as a separate radio country as well. Unfortunately, by the time I resumed my hobby about a year ago, the only medium wave station Z86 went bankrupt and is off air. The Dutch Coastguard in Willemstad, which I received often between 1980-1990, doesn’t have a significant HF presence anymore as ship traffic goes by satellite. All that is left is basically FM. So when I visited the island in March this year I decided to send QSL requests to the stations I heard, in an attempt to add Curacao to my collection.
Email to QSL Paradise FM.
Joris Reer from Paradise FM was the first to reply with an email confirmation of my reception. Joris, who is host of the afternoon show, also asked my phone number. Next day I was on the air in the “Reer in het Verkeer” show explaining what our beautiful hobby is all about. Unfortunately for English speaking readers the show, like the QSL, is in Dutch which is still the official language on Curacao, next to Papiamento and English.
If I did my homework correctly, Curacao is the 197th radio country in my collection. And yeah, Joris was correct that it is a bit of a “cheat” as it is obviously not really DX. The only other “cheat” in my collection is Liechtenstein. I received “Radio L” while traveling with my wife on a 1500 km bicycle tour through the Alps years ago. I drafted my reception report during a stop for lunch in the capital Vaduz. But if anything, the Paradise FM QSL is a nice memory of a beautiful holiday on Curacao!
One of my favorite LPAM stations because of their music selections, Kilrock 1287 kHz, will go off air June 1st as the owner is relocating. As they write on their website (translated in English):
Dear medium wave listeners,
KilRock currently broadcasts radio on 1287 kHz AM. These broadcasts will have to be stopped for a longer period of time as of June 1. Our program offering remains available online via kilrock.nl and the websites that offer KilRock radio on their own pages.
Why does KilRock stop broadcasting on 1287 AM?
Willem moves to another home. Our transmission system will have to move with us, as it is located at Willem’s home. There is no other installation location available, unless a temporary installation location for our transmission installation can be found elsewhere in the Hoeksche Waard. We do not expect to be able to realize something like this in the short term. The move is scheduled for July 2024. The antenna mast and transmitter must be dismantled well in advance and ready for transport. The disassembly work will start on June 2. That is why KilRock will no longer be receivable via 1287 kHz from Saturday, June 1 after 6:00 PM. The intention is to resume medium wave broadcasts from the new location as quickly as possible.
New start date unknown.
It is still unclear from what date we can switch the channel back on. This depends, among other things, on how quickly we can obtain an environmental permit at the new location; Such a permit is required if you want to install a transmission tower over eleven meters high. We will inform you via our Facebook page and this website if there are any new developments. Always keep in mind that KilRock is a hobby project. There are often more important things in life than pursuing a hobby. A move should be considered one of the most important things in life, whether it is fun or not…
For an island with a population slightly over 190.000 people Curaçao has quite a few FM radio stations! I heard 17 different ones during my stay on the island. Ok this is not DX, but I’m just fond of radio. And it was nice to see the variety of radio stations in either Dutch, Papiamento (or a mix) or even in Spanish (like Radio Rumbera). Quite a few religious stations (New Song, Messianic Waves, Deltha), and a wide variety in music styles.
That said I didn’t get the impression that the situation is sustainable from a financial point of view. The economy of the island was severely impacted by the closure of the Isla refinery in 2019. Covid hit tourism, the only other main source of income, badly. And this impacts revenue streams from commercials. Yes there are stations with sound programming, disc jockeys, up to date news bulletins, a healthy volume of commercials and presence on social media. But there are also a few that seem to be a “skeleton” operation with non-stop music mainly. The owners of the only medium wave station Z86 and Mi95 on FM went bankrupt earlier this year…
88.3
Rockórsou
91.5
Hitradio 915
92.1
Direct Life
92.7
Radio Deltha 92.7
93.3
Telecuraçao FM
96.5
Radio New Song
97.3
Dolfijn FM
97.9
Easy FM
98.5
Radio Semiya
99.7
Radio Mas
100.3
Messianic Waves
101.9
Radio Hoyer 1
103.1
Paradise FM
104.5
Radio Active
105.1
Radio Hoyer 2
107.1
Direct 107
107.9
Rumbera FM
Messianic Waves seems to have replaced Hit 100.3 FM/Super Jumbo on that frequency. I did not receive anything on the frequencies for Laser 101 (101.1 MHz), Radio One (103.9 MHz) and Fiesta FM (106.3 FM). Not sure whether they are still online as their websites are also silent. And I might have missed logging Clazz FM on 95.1 MHz. The FM-Scan site does list a few other stations that I didn’t hear.
I did not actively search for stations outside Curaçao other than Aruba (which I tried from Westpunt) and Bonaire. But no results for these two islands. I did hear two stations from Venezuela though, both from Punto Fijo (145 kms away):
PDVSA on 105.7 FM, a station from the Venezuelean State Oil Company, also identifying as La Voz Petrolina.
Radio La Voz Internacional on 101.3 FM. I had this station listed on 106.9 FM, with Festivo FM listed on 101.3 FM, so maybe something changed overthere.
I had the privilege of being able to spend 2 weeks on Curaçao in the Caribbean. And I decided to bring my small Grundig G6 Aviator portable with me. In the past I often took my portable with me while travelling for work. But confined to a hotel environment my experience was not always positive. I found that noise levels were often so high that reception was often very poor or non-existent.
On this trip I had the opportunity to move away from our apartment. Around 7.30 PM it was dark, and most evenings I enjoyed one or two hours listening to Latin American stations on medium wave under a tropical night sky . In total I logged 53 stations. Not all of them qualify as “DX” but it was fun nevertheless!
540
Radio ABC, Santo Domingo
DOM
550
Radio Munidal, Caracas
VEN
590
Radio Santa Maria, La Vega
DOM
610
La Cariñosa, Bogotá
CLM
650
Antena 2, Bogotá
CLM
670
Radio Rumbos, Caracas
VEN
680
Radio Nacional Colombia, Bogotá
CLM
680
WBQN Borinquen Radio, San Juan
PTR
710
Cristal Radio Red, Medellín
CLM
770
RCN Bogotá, Bogotá
CLM
780
La Voz de Dios, Cali
CLM
780
ZBVI, Tortola
VRG
800
TWR Bonaire, Kralendijk
BES
810
Radio Caracol, Bogotá
CLM
810
Radio Paz, San Juan
PTR
830
Radio Sensación, San Antonio
VEN
840
Radio HJ Doble K, Neiva
CLM
840
Nacional FM, Howard
PNR
850
Candela 850, Bogotá
CLM
860
La Voz del Caneguate, Valledupar
CLM
860
Radio Mundial 860, San Cristóbal
VEN
880
Caracol, Bucaramanga
CLM
910
La Voz del Rio Grande, Medellin
CLM
930
La Voz de Bogotá, Bogotá
CLM
940
WINZ Fox Sports, Miami
USA
970
Radio Red, Bogotá
CLM
980
RCN Radio, Cali
CLM
990
RCN Radio, Medellín
CLM
1000
RCN Radio, Cartagena
CLM
1020
Emisora Claridad, Medellín
CLM
1070
Radio Santa Fe, Bogotá
CLM
1080
La Voz de Antioquia, Medellín
CLM
1090
Unión Radio Cultural, Caracas
VEN
1090
Caracal Radio, Cúcuta
CLM
1100
BBN – Red de Radiodifusión Biblica
CLM
1100
Caracol Radio, Barranquilla
CLM
1130
Radio ideal, Maiquetia
VEN
1140
Radio Paisa, Medellín
CLM
1160
Su Presencia Radio, Bogotá
CLM
1160
Caribbean Radio Lighthouse
ATG
1200
Radio Tiempo, Caracas
VEN
1210
La Cariñosa, Cúcuta
CLM
1220
Radio Maria Colombia, Bogotá
CLM
1260
BBN – Red de Radiodiffusión Biblica
VEN
1270
La Cariñosa. Cartagena
CLM
1340
Amor Años Maravillosos, Bogotá
CLM
1400
Harbour Light of the Windwards
GRD
1420
Radio Sintonia, Caracas
VEN
1450
Radio Maria Venezuela, Catia La Mar
VEN
1470
Esperanza Adventura, Medellín
CLM
1490
Emisora Punto Cinco, Bogotá
CLM
1510
La Voz de la Unión, La Unión
CLM
1540
ZNS1 National Voice, Nassau
BAH
The most distant distation was WINZ Fox Sports, Miami with 1913 km. I also heard ZNS1 Nassau/Bahamas at 1679 km, Cali/Colombia at 1275 km, and Howard/Panama at 1212 km. I tried to log the American Virgin Islands, but no trace of any of the 4 stations, most likely because they switch to low night power? The Voice of Nevis, another target, was blocked by a very strong LV de Caneguata.
No doubt I could have heard many more stations, as the band was crowded. Fading was a significant problem though, hampering station identification. Sometimes a Colombian station was audible for only 10 minutes or so, dropping in signal strength only to be replaced by another Colombian. And on some frequencies, close to 800 kHz in particular, I had the feeling my little radio was overloading with a strange oscillator howl. Maybe due to the presence of the strong TWR transmitter? Funny detail: pressing the back light button or changing the frequency by 1 kHz seemed to suppress it for a few seconds. I seriously consider bringing my little RSPdx SDR receiver next time I visit.
Apologies for a limited number of posts in the last two weeks. But I was enjoying a holiday on Curaçao. And I couldn’t resist taking my Grundig G6 Aviator with me. Starting this weekend I will bring you up to speed on my Curaçao DX adventure. 73s, Peter.
Staying on the island Curaçao for two weeks I couldn’t resist to bring my small Grundig G6 aviator with me. And send some reception reports of course. The e- QSL TWR Bonaire 800 kHz is for the strongest station in the Caribbean.
QSL TWR Bonaire 800 kHz
In 2021 the transmitter power was increased to 440 kW. The decision to boost power was made when it was recognized that “a large regional station in Latin America was needed to supplement the small FM operations on air in that region”, according to Lauren Libby, president and CEO TWR. The station went on air in 1963 with 500 kW. But the costs of running a high power tube type rig forced them to cut back power to 100 kW in 1998.
The station can be heard in Europe, although it is not as easy as the power might suggest given that the frequency is only 1 kHz away from European 801 kHz with some Spanish stations. Worse at my QTH is LPAM station Radio Jong Europa from Alphen aan de Rijn. Only 100 Watt, but also only 20 kilometers away they spoil reception with broad band non stop music. In Curaçao, at only 80 kilometers away from Bonaire, it is an easy catch obviously.
Nice detail is that you can write the station directly at 800am@twr.org and get a dedicated QSL, rather than the more generic QSL via the TWR webform. And, together with Saba and St. Eustatius, Bonaire is a separate radio country!
I received a friendly email to QSL NDB LAR-382 and EVR-425 Portugal. Rosa Roque, head of maintenance at FIR Lisboa Airport, answered the email I sent to geral@nav.pt . The same address that verified my reception of NDB FIL on the Azores.
Dear Peter,
We confirm that these are the frequencies and the call sign of these radio beacons.
It’s amazing how, under exceptional propagation conditions, a frequency can be heard at such a great distance.
This is to confirm that Peter Reuderink has received radio beacons LAR on 382 kHz, and EVR on 425 kHz.
Many thanks. Best Regards.
Atenciosamente,
Rosa Roque
DOPLIS/MANLIS – Head of Maintenance Services
Lisbon FIR Operations Directorate
As far as I know their are 4 NDBs left in Portugal. Two of them can be received most evenings at my QTH, LAR at Arruda (I guess the callsign is derived from Lisboa-ARruda) is situated north of Lisbon International Airport aligned with the runway. EVR is situated at Évora Municipal Airport. The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer owns two plants adjacent to the airport.
BDXC : SWL 2262 PRe VERON : NL 14228 If you want to get in touch, just leave a message on one of my posts. Please note that I don't publish email addresses of verifiers which are not part of the public domain. So if you don't see the QSL address, just leave a message and I'll get back to you.
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