"It's not true I had nothing on, I had the radio on" - Marilyn Monroe
RTW Waddinxveen is the local radio for Waddinveen, The Netherlands, a village 19 kilometers from my QTH. With 50 Watt they broadcast on 105.8 MHz. i sent my report to info@rtw.nl . Willy Klomp-Koel was so kind to confirm my report:
The first broadcast of RTW Waddinxveen was in 1987. As part of the strategy to move from local to bigger regional radio entities (see my earlier blog) RTW Waddinxveen is cooperating with other local radio stations in RTV Midden Holland.
A QSL from SAQ Grimeton for my reception of their special 100th anniversary transmission on 17.2 kHz, July 2nd, 2025.
Reception quality was pretty good with an easy to decode CW signal: VVV VVV VVV DE SAQ SAQ SAQ:
SAQ Grimeton Radio Station is a historic longwave transatlantic wireless telegraphy station located near Varberg in southern Sweden. Built between 1922 and 1924, it is the only remaining station of its kind from the early 20th century and is renowned for its use of a unique Alexanderson alternator, a pre-electronic transmitter technology developed by Swedish-American engineer Ernst Alexanderson. The station, with the callsign SAQ, operates on a very low frequency (VLF) of 17.2 kHz and was primarily used to transmit Morse code telegrams to North America, particularly to Radio Central on Long Island, New York, from the 1920s through the 1940s. During World War II, it served as Sweden’s sole telecommunication link with the world and was later used for submarine communications until 1996.
Last week I received my first OIRT signals. Until 2 years ago I never had a receiver that was able to pick up 70 MHz signals. Today I do, but the only antenna I have is a 87-108 MHz antenna… apparently that’s all it takes to pick up these signals over a distance of 1600 km when sporadic E conditions are favourable.
What is OIRT?
The OIRT radio band is a range of radio frequencies used for FM broadcasting, primarily in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, spanning from 65.8 to 74.0 MHz (sometimes cited as 65.9 to 74.0 MHz). Named after the Organisation Internationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision (OIRT), a Prague-based organization that served as the Eastern Bloc’s counterpart to the Western European Broadcasting Union (EBU), it was established to standardize broadcasting in socialist countries during the Cold War.
The OIRT band was a product of Cold War-era technological and political divisions, designed to isolate Eastern Bloc broadcasts from Western signals. Its lower frequencies allowed better coverage in expansive regions but made cross-border reception difficult. Today, its use is declining, but it remains a niche interest for radio enthusiasts (DXers) who tune in during Sporadic E propagation events to catch distant signals.
Below a little recording of a conversation on BR Pershy Kanal (Channel Nr. 1) on 66.32 MHz. The spacing between stations is only 30 kHz, rather than the 100 kHz used for the 87-108 MHz band.
I tried to send a reception report to Belarus Radio, but since the war between Russia and the Ukraine all email correspondence is blocked “for security reasons” (which might be the EU or Belarus, I just don’t know). That’s a pity. If someone knows a workaround, please let me know!
When I received my QSL for the NDB SC for Santa Cruz I asked Mr. Figueirado if you could also confirm my earlier report for NDB PD Ponta Delgada on 351 kHz that I didn’t receive an answer on. He was so kind by immediately sending me a reply, so this is my 3rd NDB QSL from the Azores. The contact adres for NAV Portugal is geral@nav.pt :
John Paul II Ponta Delgada Airport is the largest airport of the Azores, with scheduled flights to the US and Canada and many European countries.
While NDB FIL for Horta Airport on Faial Island is a signal that I pick up relatively easy here, I had never heard any of the other Azores beacons in a reportable quality. But during the last CLE event of the NDB list group I heard NDB SC for Flores Island Airport. My reception was confirmed by mr. Marco Figueiredo, Deputy Director of the Santa Maria (Azores) region of NAV Portugal. I sent my report to geral@nav.pt.
Mr. Figueiredo writes that the airport is nearby the town of Santa Cruz. Well, that is a bit of an understatement. The runway cuts of Santa Cruz from the rest of the island, and leaves only two roads along the edge of the cliffs open to access the town… one north, one south:
Wikipedia writes that the first need for an airport/airfield on the island of Flores was recognized as early as 1927 by the Marquis Francesco de Pinedo, colonel of the Italian Air Force, who was forced to land 200 km from the island of Flores, during his attempt to reach Newfoundland. His Savoia-Marchetti S.55 hydroplane was rescued by the Portuguese fishing boat Infantes de Sagres and towed to Horta where it was repaired.
But, it was only in 1972 that an airport was inaugurated on the island of Flores. It offers regional flights to the nearby Azores Islands.
The second NDB on my QSL from Sakaernavigatsia, the Air Traffic Safety provider in Georgia was NDB DF on 520 kHz from Mukhrani. According to some sources there used to be an airport in Mukhrani, but if that was the case, it is now closed. The beacon is used for enroute navigation.
The distance to Mukhrani is 3167 kms from my QTH:
Really pleased with this QSL for my reception of NDB LU-430 in Batumi, Georgia, 2986 kilometers from my QTH. The only two beacons with a greater distance in SE direction are NDB Mukhrani (which was also confirmed with this QSL) and NDB ARB Arbadil from Iran. And it is only my 2nd QSL from Georgia since I received one for my reception of Voice of Hope from Tbilisi in 1997.
Wolf, DE2WHG, was so kind to provide me with a QSL address that worked. And Mr. Giorgi Meladze from Sakaeronavigatsia was so kind to confirm my reception report within a day:
Alexander Kartveli Batumi International Airport is one of three international airports in Georgia, located close to Batumi on the Black Sea. The airport is named after Alexander Kartveli, an aeronautical engineer and aviation pioneer.
The beacon is located at the end of the runway according to the excellent website OurAirports. Using Google Maps streetview I saw a little red and white container at the location which reminded me of the beacons used in Czechia (see my previous post).
Even during summer (or maybe especially during summer) it pays out to monitor the medium wave. Last night offered very good conditions towards Brazil and Argentina, allowing me to log a few stations that I didn’t hear before.
On this Youtube video you will see my recording of the National Anthem played on Radio Buenos Aires 1350 kHz. With 11448 kilometers from my QTH a new personal record!
Radio Castilla-La Mancha is a Spanish public radio station belonging to the Radiotelevisión de Castilla–La Mancha group , a company dependent on the autonomous government of Castile-La Mancha . It belongs to the Federation of Radio and Television Organizations of the Autonomies , a professional association that brings together the main regional public radio and television channels in the country.
I heard them during the July 1st, opening. Jesus Sanchez was so kind to confirm my reception report. Apart from identifying the station with PI code I received a traffic message for Toledo, Spain:
UPDATE: A strong Radio Castilla La Mancha station ID. I heard this one on 105.9 MHz, which has only a 350 Watt relay listed in Riópar, Castilla La Mancha:
On 92.0 MHz I heard COPE Madrid, Spain. Actually it was COPE Mas Madrid via a 2 kW relay transmitter in Villalbilla, 25 kms east of Madrid:
According to FM list I heard a COPE Más Madrid broadcast, but I heard an annoucement of both COPE Madrid and COPE Más (with the frequencies 106.3 and 94.8 for the Madrid transmitters):
COPE Madrid is Madrid’s leading generalist channel, with a broad focus on news, sports, and current affairs, strongly oriented towards the local community and sports enthusiasts.
COPE Más is a supplementary channel that places more emphasis on entertainment, lifestyle and cultural topics, often with a local and accessible approach.
My reception report was confirmed by Mrs. Beatriz Perez Otin, journalist, producer and presenter at COPE. Thank you Beatriz!
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