Tag: HF (Page 1 of 7)

QSL Auckland HFDL 10084 kHz

May 3, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

Since I resumed the hobby I spent quite a bit of time on maritime DX (DSC mode) and NDBs. But I didn’t do as much on HF Aero. So time to see what’s going on the aero-bands. I did already a couple of SelCal decodes (so nice that we have programs like MultiPSK that allow us to do so) when I discovered HFDL.

I first heard Shannon. On audio the pattern is a brief tone, and then a data burst, as in this audio clip. Using the Klingenfuss guide I started to look for other frequencies, decoded with MutliPSK, and got some Auckland decodes.

Receiving something from New Zealand is always nice, but what about a QSL? I decided to contact Airways New Zealand. Todd, who is operations team lead at Airways told me that they were truly interested in my reception, it wasn’t Auckland Radio that I heard (as they are responsible for voice), but he could confirm I received the HF data link from Auckland.

Meanwhile I’ve learned a little bit more about HFDL. Apparently it is a service called ACARS (Aircraft Communications and Reporting System) initially developed by ARINC (Aeronautical Radio Incorporated). ARINC is now part of Collins Aerospace. UDXF offers a nice information sheet about this service that allows aircraft to exchange date via a ground station with their operators.

Apparently there are 16 ground stations that provide HFDL. I’ve heard Hat Yai, Telde (Canarias), Shannon and Auckland by now. The beauty is that via this digital technique aircraft can for example broadcast their position in 2 seconds, something which would take 1 minute by voice. And during high solar activity periods the digital mode of communication proved to be much more reliable for aircraft flying over polar regions in particular.

San Francisco, CA, USA
Molokai, HWA, USA
Reykjavik, Iceland
Riverhead, New York, USA
Auckland, New Zealand
Hat Yai, Thailand
Shannon, Ireland
Johannesburg, South Africa
Barrow, Alaska, USA
Muan, South Korea
Albrook, Panama
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Al Muharraq, Bahrain
Agana, Guam
Canarias, Spain

Now I fully understand that I’m just a beginner in this field. So if you have additions, corrections, just let me know by leaving a reply in the comments. Thank you!

QSL Moonair Radio 5880 kHz

April 29, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

An e-QSL with lots of details from Moonair Radio, a Free Radio station from Central Europe. DJ Mike is from Holland, and the show I listened to was mainly in Dutch, but from the announcements made it was clear the the location is not in The Netherlands, but somewhere in “Central Europe”. I will not disclose the location, but given the distance I am surprised about the signal strength given an output power of only 250 W. Must be a decent antenna! And I understand why there was a bit of fading.

Mike also shared a nice video of the studio and transmitter equipment. Apparently he is also the operator of Radio Magdalena, a station that broadcasts in AM-stereo.

QSL Mustang Radio 6280 kHz

April 28, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

My reception of Mustang Radio on 6280 kHz, a Free Radio station from the east part of the Netherlands was confirmed with a kind email reply by station owner Herman.

About a week after the email bij Herman he sent me the beautiful QSL card!

QSL Radio WDR 5800 kHz

April 27, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 2 Comments

e-QSL from Radio WDR “Radio from the Bottom of the Sea”

An e-QSL from Radio WDR. No not the Westdeutscher Rundfunk, but Radio WDR on 5800 kHz, a Free Radio station from the Netherlands. One of their slogans is “Radio from the Bottom of the Sea”, which might imply that their QTH is what used to be the former Zuiderzee.

QSL SoundBox Radio via Channel 292 on 6070 kHz

April 27, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

A program I hadn’t heard before on Channel 292, Germany is SoundBox Radio. On Friday night they broadcast a nice mix of Disco music on 6070 kHz. My reception report was awarded with an e-QSL and a friendly email in a day.

QSL Key Channel Radio Italy 6270 kHz

April 24, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

e QSL from Key Channel Radio, Italy, on 6270 kHz

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).

QSL Radio60! 5840 kHz

April 15, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

Last weekend I received Radio60! in good quality on 5840 kHz. Most likely via the transmitter of the Dutch free radio station Contikenzo.
The program was presented by Jürgen who is known as Erden Man in the Free Radio world. He sent me this beautifully designed e-QSL via erdeman(at)gmx.de . Thank you Jürgen!

SSTV QSL WA1QZK Boston

April 14, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

I’m not so much into HAM radio. Not that I have anything against HAMs – on the contrary – but there is already so much to listen to that I decided not to go there yet. If I’m going to do HAM I want to be able to transmit myself.

That said, I’ve found SSTV always attractive. And particularly when MF conditions aren’t great I don’t mind “sacrificing” one of my DSC receivers scanning 14230 kHz (or another HF SSTV channel). This way I picked up WA1QZK from Boston.

Intercontinental DX is always nice. Problem is that as an SWL (even when registered with VERON) you don’t always have access to email address information in a database like QRZ.com. But Ron, operator of WA1QKZ was so kind to share his email with SWLs as well, so I sent a report… and received the QSL card below. Thank you Ron!

QSL NHK Yamata 9560 kHz

April 12, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

Pheww.. this one was a little bit tense… Already 5 days ago I got an email prompt (a scan of the card) indicating that my QSL from NHK had arrived in the Netherlands. That’s how the Dutch Postal Service works which is great, but apparently it still took them 5 days to deliver my card. In the mean time I was wondering if they delivered it to the wrong address.

QSL from NHK Japan… might be their final QSL on paper…

Normally I wouldn’t have mind so such, but this was the last chance to get a traditional NHK QSL… Fortunately, today I found it in my mailbox.

I feel a little bit sad about this one, and I’m angry as well. Running a shortwave radio station requires a million dollar budget, but it also requires qualified technical personnel. So sending out a few QSLs per year to people that have a true technical interestest in your station doesn’t seem a bad idea… The “Finance Dudes” seem to have different perspective. Anyway, it is what it is… and this one goes on file. Thank you NHK for all the years that you did grant dedicated listeners a QSL!

QSL Comodoro Rivadavia Radio 12577 kHz

April 7, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

I received Comodoro Rivadavia Radio with a DSC test acknowledgement to a vessel with MMSI 311000867 (SYLVIA EARLE, Bahamas). It’s the second time I sent them a report. I heard them earlier in December 2024. They confirmed they were sending a message at the time but my decode of the MMSI of the ship they contacted was incorrect. Despite the ERR check being OK. These things can happen sometimes. This time there was one other DX-er that picked up the same message using YADD decoder, so I was confident I really heard them!

The distance between my QTH and Comodoro Rivadavia is 12890 kilometers… and this is definitely not a DSC station that I hear as often as the ones from Brazil. My other confirmation from Argentina was Buenos Aires Radio.