Peter's DX Corner

"It's not true I had nothing on, I had the radio on" - Marilyn Monroe

Category: Bosnia Herzegovina

QSL NDB IL-405 and KG-357.5 Sarajevo

September 28, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Mr Dzeko from BHANSA was so kind to QSL my reception of NDB IL Sarajevo/Ilidzaj on 405 kHz and NDB KG Sarajevo/Butmir/Kobiljaca on 357.5 kHz. Mr. Nikolic, system engineer at BHANSA was so kind to forward my report (see my post on Banja Luka NDB NA and NDB LU for a bit of background).

Unlike the Banja Luka pair, both beacons are still in operation. NDB KG is located 12.5 km NW in line with the runway. NDB IL is located next to the runway of Sarajevo

Sarajevo International Airport traces its roots to 1930, when Aeroput began regular flights linking Belgrade, Sarajevo, and Podgorica from a military field at Rajlovac and later the grass airfield at Butmir; after World War II interrupted service, civilian traffic resumed in 1947.

It was substantially expanded ahead of the 1984 Winter Olympics, including a longer runway and a new terminal that handled a record 14,000 passengers on the Games’ final day. During the Bosnian War the airport became the hub of a massive UN humanitarian airlift of some 13,000 flights and 160,000 tons of aid.

For Sarajevo International Airport expansion plans one of major restrictions is a mountain terrain that requires a high approach precision and a big inclination angle in a procedure of unsuccessful approach and landing.

QSL NDB LU-397 and NA-383 Banja Luka

September 26, 2026 / / 0 Comments

A few weeks ago I received an email from Mr. Goran Nikolic, Systems Engineer at BHANSA. He asked me if he could use the information of my reception report of NDB „TU“ on 445 kHz near Tuzla in a technical book he was preparing on radio navigation aids. The idea was to explain that NDBs can be received over much longer distances if propagation conditions are favourable. As Mr. Nikolic wrote: “It is a very useful practical example for explaining a phenomenon that can otherwise remain rather abstract.”

Of course I agreed, but I took the opportunity to ask Mr. Nikolic if he could confirm my reception of a number of beacons from Bosnia Herzegovina. My request was forwarded to Mr. Borenovic, Head of CNS department in Banja Luka. He confirmed my reception of beacons NDB LU on 397 kHz and NDB NA on 383 kHz. But also informed me that both beacons have been taken out of operation in 2026.

It is sad to see that this part of our radio hobby disappears as NDBs are replaced with more modern navigation systems. The picture below from OurAirports shows the position of these former beacons. Quite frankly I do think the exact location is a little bit more to the left, in line with the runway.

This is the equipment at the LU location as shown on Google Streetview:

Banja Luka International Airport (BNX), also known as Mahovljani Airport, began construction in 1976 as a secondary facility intended only for domestic flights within socialist Yugoslavia, and it saw little scheduled traffic even then. After the Bosnian War Banja Luka became the de facto capital of Republika Srpska, giving the airfield new political and practical weight; it opened to civilian traffic on 18 November 1997 and briefly served as the hub of the short-lived flag carrier Air Srpska (1999–2003).

Facilities were upgraded in 2002–2003 ahead of Pope John Paul II’s visit. For years passenger numbers remained modest, but the arrival of Ryanair in 2018 and Wizz Air in 2021 transformed it into a low-cost gateway. By 2025 it handled nearly 485,000 passengers, making it Republika Srpska’s only international airport and a vital link for Banja Luka—Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second-largest city—connecting the region to Belgrade and numerous European cities and supporting tourism, business, and the entity’s economic integration with the wider continent.

More info about the Republika Srpska can be found in my post on NDB BLK on 340 kHz.

QSL NDB DNC-425 Mostar

December 8, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Today I received another email from BHANSA, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Air Navigation Services Agency. This one confirmed all three radio beacons I sent a report for to info@bhansa.gov.ba . So this adds a QSL for NDB DNC-425 Mostar to my collection. A big thank you to Mr. Vlado Juric for this confirmation.

Apparently Mostar Airport is struggling a bit compared to Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Tuzla Airports. In 2012 it was still the 2nd airport after Sarajevo, mainly because of pilgrimage to Medjugorje. Over a million people per year visited this town where Our Lady of Medjugorje appeared to six teens in 1981. I really recommend reading this Wiki about the complexity of religion in an already complex political environment.

During COVID Mostar Ariport lost the two companies carrying out scheduled flights from Mostar Airport, so it is used by seasonal charters only these days. You can find the other QSLs and stories about Bosnia by clicking on these links: BLK-340 and TU-445 .

QSL NDB BLK-340 Banja Luka (and some Balkan politics)

November 5, 2023 / / 0 Comments

And guess what, a day after my first QSL from Bosnia Herzegovina I received my second. A QSL for NDB BLK-340 Banja Luka. This time the email sent to info@bhansa.gov.ba apparently made it to the right desk. Mr. Stanisic who is head of Air Traffic Control Banja Luka was so kind to send me a confirmation.

Email to QSL NDB BLK-340 kHz from Banja Luka, Bosnia Herzegovina

What is a bit confusing is that Banja Luka is situated in Republica Srpska. This translates as Serb Republic, but should not be confused with the Republic of Serbia, which is an independent country (and also still on my “QSL to-do list” by the way). Since December 1995 The Republica Srpska, together with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina form the independent country Bosnia and Herzegovina…. But as the Republica Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina couldn’t agree on who was to own Brčko, that was turned into a third autonomous district in 1999… pretty complicated eh?

To make things even more complicated: the Republica Srpska consists of two parts and according to their current leadership the Republica Srpska should be an independent state. Which would possibly result in a new EDXC radio country as well, and possibly even two (like West and East Malaysia), as they are separated by Brčko …

But as much as this would be nice for us DX-ers, please don’t let them fight another Balkan War over it…

Bosnia Herzegovina consists of the Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina, the republic Srpska and the Brčko district.

QSL NDB TU-445 Tuzla. My 189th radio country!

November 3, 2023 / / 3 Comments

Yesss… a new radio country confirmed: Bosnia Herzegovina. I got an email from Mr. Adnan Becic to QSL NDB TU-445 from Tuzla. If I’ve counted correctly, this is my 189th EDXC radio country. In the 80-ies I was able to receive and QSL Radio Sarajevo. But that was before the Balkan war, and Bosnia Herzegovina was still part of Yugoslavia.

BHANSA is the organization responsible for aeronautical navigation services in Bosnia Herzegovina. I tried sending a report to BHANSA directly about my reception of the Banja Luka Beacon BLK-340. But I only had their corporate email address so it probably never reached the right department. I never got an answer.

So this time I decided to write to Tuzla Airport instead and sent an email to Mr. Brcaninovic, technical manager at Tuzla Airport. He forwarded my message to the BHANSA team (translated from Bosnian language):

Guys.. greetings!

You see if you want to answer this lover of radio signals. I have no idea how (probably the contacts on our website for the technique) but it’s not my responsibility, so I’m forwarding it to you for your attention and possible action. As nice as it is to know that you can hear from Holland 😃

And as you could see, it worked! Thank you Mr. Brcaninovic and Mr. Becic for allowing me to add another country to my list!

Note: the email address was not available in public domain and therefore not published here. You can contact me for further details by submitting a comment.

© 2026 Peter's DX Corner

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑