Italy has lots to offer for the medium wave enthusiast. Radio Studio X is broadcasting with 5 kW from Momigno near Pistoia in Tuscany, Italy. Two other frequencies are listed as 1485 kHz from Livorno and 1584 kW from Arezzo, both with 1 kW. However, MW-List shows these as “inactive”. The station pioneered AM stereo transmissions in C-QUAM format.
I tried to QSL them earlier, but without success. This time I used the qsl@radiostudiox.it address and QSL manager Stefano replied within a day.
Radio Studio X capture
Radio Studio X is a beloved independent station renowned for its nostalgic embrace of 80s and 90s dance, pop, and electronic music. It delivers an infectious playlist of classic hits alongside lesser-known gems that delight longtime fans and DJ enthusiasts alike. With its streaming app, online museum showcasing vintage radio and music memorabilia, and a vibrant Facebook community, Radio Studio X embodies the enduring spirit of Italy’s freewheeling pirate radio heritage, providing 24/7 grooves that transport listeners back to the neon-lit dancefloors of yesteryear while maintaining a quirky, community-driven charm in the digital age.
Radio Metropolis broadcasts with 1 kW from Trieste, Italy. Despite relatively low power it is not a difficult catch. And I have a soft spot for that deep voice announcing “Radio Metropolis”. The only thing I observe is that they are often subject to deep fading like the other low power Italian stations.
Radio Metropolis, Trieste, 1503 kHz as received on my QTH (with the antenna not really in the optimal direction: 120/300)
I tried to QSL them in the past, but I was never succesful. Until I learned last week that my friend Antonello Napolitano, known for his DX-fanzine bulletins, is hosting a DX show. And he was so kind to QSL my report.
QSL Radio Metropolis, Trieste, 1503 kHz
This is what Antonello wrote:
As you may be aware I am the producer and host of a DX show in Italian called “Bande Rumorose” carried over 5 italian MW stations (Radio Metropolis, Radio Briscola, Emmereci Radio or Media Radio Castellana, Power 927 and Radio centrale Milano). If you listen to “Bande Rumorose” on any of the above mentioned stations and send me a reception report I will verify it with a specific e-QSL.
For the sake of good order, let me add that reports based on reception via public remote SDR receivers (Twente, Kiwi and so on) will not be verified. The reason is simple: such reports are useless as we can check such receivers by ourselves. Last but not least, I want to recognize the efforts made by true DXers for picking up the signals from those Italian stations.
“Bande Rumorose” is also distrubuted via its channel on youtube which can be found at this link:
The program, which I describe as an old style DX show, consist of DX News, profile and/or history of both, MW and SW; stations from allover the world, interviews with DXers and shortwave personalities (for example Dino Bloise) and logs of recently received medium and short wave stations (some of them accompanied by good quality recording of their jingles or station identification announcements!).
“Bande Rumorose” is on air as follows (All times CET = UTC+1 hour):
• Emmerreci Radio, Castel San Pietro Terme (BO), Sundays, at 1100, Fridays at 2300 on 711 e 1098 kHz. • Power 927, Abbiategrasso (MI), Sundays at 1100, Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays, at 2100 on 927 kHz. • Radio Briscola, Lenta (VC), Sundays, at 1100 e 1830 on 1449 kHz. • Radio Centrale Milano, Milano, Sundays, at 1030, Mondays, at 2300 on 1575 kHz. • Radio Metropolis, Trieste, Sundays, at 2205 on 1503 kHz and 93.90 MHz FM for the city of Trieste.
Last weekend Key Channel Radio, broadcasting from Emilia Romagna, Italy, was on air on 6270 kHz. Massimo, who operates the station was so kind to give me a heads up warning. Reception wasn’t easy as propagation conditions were poor and there was quite a bit of noise/interference which required them to change frequency a few times.
Massimo sent me the beautiful e QSL, a friendly email and some photo’s of the stunning scenery in Emilia Romagna:
Dear Peter, thanks for your valuable listening report. In the end you listened to us too. Tough evening, stanag, CW all active. Yes we changed the frequency 4 times. KCR has been broadcasting since January 2016 from a location on the hills of the Emilian Apennines. We use a commercial transmitter with a maximum power of 400 W (in use 250 W) and a self-built Morgain 48/88 Antenna. There are three of us who manage it, I take care of the technical part, programs. My girlfriend takes care of important statistics on listeners and small studies on propagation. A dear friend of ours takes care of the graphics, the promos and QSLs are her creations. We are an open radio, we have collaborated with several German Pirate Radios, Doctor Tim, Radio BZN and more. Now we collaborate with Radio Monique, Bart even made a broadcast and several Jingles for us. (Pirate for Peace Member).
Scanning the medium wave band I found Radio Briscola in pretty good quality on 1449 kHz. As I only heard a lady talking, without an ID, I made a recording and sent it to radiobriscola@gmail.com (thank you Artur at Maresme DX for the tip).
e QSL Radio Briscola 1449 kHz from Lenta, Piemonte, Italy
Gianfranco Giudice sent me a kind email reply:
I’m very pleased with your listening report Radio Briscola is a small amateur broadcaster with a regular permit that broadcasts from Piedmont (Italy) with 500 watts/carrier and a 32 meter vertical folded antenna every weekend, also because electricity costs a lot; we plan to power the transmitter with photovoltaic, but later……….
While it is nice that in countries like Holland and Italy there is a bit more of a liberal attitude toward low power broadcasters on AM, the energy costs are providing a challenge. We haven’t seen the sun in The Netherlands for 9 days on a row now. Will we get messages like “our station is off the air because a lack of solar power?”.
Another station from Südtirol that I heard during my holiday in the beautiful Ahrntal. Like Radio Holiday the station covers the valleys of Südtirol with multiple low power transmitters. Radio 2000 has 20 of them. Where the valleys are wider as is the case near the capital of Südtirol Bozen (Bolzano) power is a few kilowatts. But the transmitter I received in Luttach has only 200 Watt. If you know the area it is no surprise that Luttach is chosen as location because it is where the river Ahr makes a 90o turn. From Luttach it possible to cover entrance and “Talschluss” of the Tauferer Ahrntal.
Coverage area of the 200W Radio 2000 transmitter in Luttach
I sent my report to info(at)radio2000.it and got a direct reply from Mr. Lukas Thaler.
Another souvenir from my favourite holiday destination Südtirol: email to QSL my reception of Radio Holiday on 99.6 MHz (Luttach, Italy). They cover South Tirol with 14 transmitters ranging in power between 20 and 1000 Watt only. I guess that in these mountainous regions line of sight requirements result in more antennes rather than high transmitter power.
I heard them in Steinhaus in the beautiful Ahrntal, only 6 kilometers away. So not really DX, but as a said: a nice holiday souvenir for a station that is very difficult to receive, if at all, in The Netherlands. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
Email QSL for Radio Holiday from Südtirol
Coverage map op Radio Holiday Südtirol (source: FM Scan)
eQSL Radio Voyager from Northern Italy, broadcasting on 6956 kHz
A nice QSL from Radio Voyager. I heard them on 6956 kHz with nice Jazz music. According to their email they are Free Radio from Northern Italy, transmitting with 400 W on a dipole. I sent my report to radiovoyager@hotmail.com . They have a facebook page shared with – guess what – Enterprise Radio ! Star Trek fans will understand the connection. Unfortunately I’ve only just applied for membership, so I can’t tell you much more about this station.
OOps… I checked my Spam inbox and had a nice surprise: a few weeks ago I received a QSL from Radio Tour, a smaller regional station from the Potenza area. I heard them on 101.8 MHz, a transmitter from Potenza with 500 Watts. I sent my report with MP3 to scrivi@radiotour.fm and received a reply within a day!
email to QSL my reception of regional station Radio Tour from Potenza, Italy
Radio Tour operates 13 fairly low power transmitters from the Potenza area. And that’s what I like about this catch! The strongest station is 4 kW on 100.3 MHz, also from Potenza. There is an 800 Watt transmitter in Balvano, and their third strongest transmitter is the one I received… The slogan of Radio Tour is “Radio Tour Viaggo in 1a classe nel passato” – “Radio Tour, I travel 1st class journey into the past”… which I found a bit surprising as I heard songs from the 90-ies… but that’s probably because of my own age…
Yesterday I received a fully detailed email from Paolo at Radio Radicale to confirm my reception on 88.6 MHz from Rocca di Papa, Italy. He shared that he is very familiar with the hobby and had a passion for shortwave radio in his youth. Thank you Paolo for the kind email and personal touch!
While it is nice to receive one of the frequencies of a network broadcaster, receiving a standalone local station has its own appeal. Radio Logos operates a 10 kW transmitter on 97.3 MHz from Foggia, near the Adriatic coast in southern Italy. I love their “old school” logo!
Email to QSL my reception of Radio Logos, Foggia, Italy.
Radio Logos is a religious broadcaster, related to the “Chiese Cristiane Evangeliche” in Italy. I sent my report to rlogos@tiscali.it , and Eliseo Falla was so kind to answer within a day. The reply is personal but not very detailed.
The Radio Logos transmitting facilities in Foggia. Apparently the antenna tower is an old construction crane.
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