Unless you go for HAM radio or into FM DX there are not a lot of options anymore to receive a QSL from Belgium. Fortunately Oostende Radio is still a reliable verifier. I received this QSL Oostende Radio 518 kHz for my reception of their NAVTEX message announcing gunnery exercises on the North Sea:
2023-04-21 07:10:10> ZCZC TA63 2023-04-21 07:10:12> 210611 UTC APR 2023-04-21 07:10:16> OOSTENDERADIO MSI 187/23 2023-04-21 07:10:20> DE PANNE-OOSTENDE 2023-04-21 07:10:27> GUNNERY EXERCISES IN THE MIDDLE SECTOR OF LOMBARDSIJDE 2023-04-21 07:10:35> TODAY 21 04 2023 FROM 0630 UNTIL 1030 UTC. 2023-04-21 07:10:43> GUNNERY SECTOR IS LISTENING ON CHAN 16 AND 67. 2023-04-21 07:10:49> CANCEL THIS MSG 211030 UTC APR. 2023-04-21 07:10:49> NNNN
Reading the letter I somehow got the feeling that they forgot to include the QSL card. So I “copied” one from Hugo’s DX hoekje… 😉
QSL Letter Oostende Radio, BelgiumQSL Oostende Radio OSU, Belgium (taken from Hugo’s DX hoekje)
With centralization and the introduction of remote operation it is not always easy or even possible to identify what you actually heard. Sending DSC messages with MMSI 002301000 this station is referred to as Mariehamn Radio in the DSC community. The ITU list gives MRCC Turku as the station however, and Turku is definitely the control centre for operations in the western part of Finland. Helsinki seems to be the other main control centre.
Anyway, as QSL Mariehamn / Turku Radio for a reception of their DSC test message on 2187.5 kHz I got a short email from mrcc@raja.fi, which is the email address for the headoffice in Turku.
In the old days things were easier: I added the QSL I received in 1989 for my reception of Mariehamn Radio on 1852 kHz which definitely originated from the Aland Islands.
UPDATE: A friendly Turku operator explained it all to me. Big thank you to this anonymous contributor to my blog:
Turku Radio does not carry DSC Safety watch on MF/HF. It is VHF only. Turku Radio´s MMSI is 002300230.
MMSI numbers you provided belong to Finnish Border Guard which operates Maritime Rescue Centers in Finland: 002301000 MRCC Turku 002302000 MRSC Helsinki
When you are collecting QSLs it is ups and downs. Sometimes you receive a QSL every single day, and sometimes the (e)mailbox is a barren desert. It was like that when I started this hobby in the 80-ies, and it’s still like that since I returned to the radio waves. But… it is also a good opportunity to reflect upon some old QSL cards. And since my last post was on “Kystradio Sør”, I’d like to share three QSLs from Norwegian Coastal Radio Stations that don’t exist anymore as “independent” stations: Florø, Tjøme and Aalesund. In the 80-ies there were at least a dozen stations Norwegian Coastal Radio stations active on MF. 2182 kHz was the “calling frequency” where vessels and coastal stations made the initial contact. Announcements of weather bulletins and navigational warnings were made here. Most sought after by DX-ers were the stations like Jan Mayen, Bjørnøya and Longyearbyen, as they provided the opportunity to QSL Jan Mayen and Svalbard, two separate EDXC radio countries (I did hear Jan Mayen once, but never got a QSL… I had to hunt NDBs to get these countries). Receiving the stations was one thing, but QSL-ing the Norwegian stations was another challenge. In the end I only managed to get three of them: Florø, Tjøme and Aalesund. Want to learn more? Check this Wikipedia article on the history of Telenor Kystradio.
QSL Florø Radio, a former coastal radio station from Norway.QSL Tjøme Radio, Norway, from 1982 A QSL from Aalesund Radio from 1988. In those days Norway had a dozen or more coastal radio stations.
I already made a post about the QSL from Kystradio Nord, Bodoe, Norway. Earlier this year I also received a QSL card from Kystradio Sør (Coastal Radio South) from Sola in the southern part of Norway. It was broadcasting a DSC message. In the past the station in Sola was called “Rogaland Radio”. But with the merger of the operations of Tjome Radio, Floro Radio and Rogaland Radio, the name was changed to Kystradio Sør. Actually, the TX location I received was located in Florø. Kystradio Sør operates with 24 operators, mainly on VHF and MF. Everything south of 65N is the responsibility of Kystradio Sør, everything north of it is for Kystradio Nord. Both stations are operated by Telenor and are not owned by the government.
Not all Maritime stations respond to reception reports. But those who do might send beautiful (e-)QSL cards, like this one from Bodoe Radio, Norwegian Coastal Radio North. In Norway there are only two centres left, north and south, that coordinate maritime radio transmissions. The Floro, Alesund, Tjome stations of the past are no more. But this beautiful QSL for my reception of Bodoe radio DCS on 2187.5 kHz makes up for that. Big compliments to the folks at Norwegian Coastal Radio North for providing this service to us DX folks!
Receiving QSLs from remote places around the globe is always nice. So I was very pleased to receive this QSL from Aasiaat Radio, Greenland following a reception of a DCS test message on 2187.5 kHz. Bo Mogensen on oyr@tusass.gl was so kind to reply to my report. Initially I thought I received Qaqortoq Radio on the basis of the MMSI number 003311000 received, but Bo explained to me that MMSI numbers were rationalized following ITU recommendations, so this one belongs to Aasiaat now.
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.
Feel free to copy anything on this weblog. I try to provide accurate information, but if I'm wrong: don't blame me! A link back to my site is appreciated when you copy info.
