A QSL for my reception of WMLB 1690 Avondale Estates, or WMLB 1690 AM Atlanta as this is what they themselves advertise. My first QSL for an AM broadcaster from the state of Georgia! I received a ‘simulcast’ of a program from WCPT, with the WMLB station ID on the hour:
As the WRTH provided links to WCPT Heartland Signal sites only I left a message on their website. Rodney Gibbs, General Manager confirmed my reception report. He states that they recently launched the station and are preparing to add local programming soon:
As far as I know WMLB 1690 is not (yet) owned by Heartland Signal. The FCC licensee is still John Fredericks’ Disruptor Radio, LLC.
Most of the news talk stations I have received so far voice a conservative opinion (like WXKS for example). Heartland Signal however brings a progressive voice. The format is “live, local & progressive”: discussions with activisten, journalists and politicians from the MidWest, with news from the digital newsdesk of Heartland Signal.
A QSL for CKOC Hamilton 1150 AM, Canada’s oldest continuously operating radio station. A station that has adapted through more than a century of broadcasting while remaining a local voice. Station CHAB, in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, began broadcasting a week earlier and is still on the air today, but was shut down for a period of time in 1933 before re-opening.
Recording of my CKOC 1150 AM reception, resutling in the first QSL on my new QTH
My reception report was confirmed within hours by Mr. Pervin, General Manager of the station. It is nice to be able to add this Canadian radio icon to my QSL Collection. And it is the first QSL from my new QTH!
A brief history of CKOC
Signed on May 1, 1922, by Herb Slack and George Crawford of Wentworth Radio and Auto Supply, the station began as a modest way to sell radios. Its call letters come from the original owner’s parent company, Ontario Cycle. Early broadcasts were limited, and the station hopped frequencies—including 880, 630, and 1120 kHz—before settling on 1150 AM in 1941. It served as a CBC affiliate from 1936 to 1962.
CKOC became a regional powerhouse during its Top 40 years from 1960 to 1992, competing with Toronto stations and earning a reputation as “The Busy Bee.” In 1992 it flipped to oldies as “Oldies 1150,” briefly using the CKMO calls before listeners demanded the original CKOC letters back in 1993. In 2013 the format changed scope from “Oldies” to “Classic Hits”.
Bell Media bought the station in 2013, and changed the format to sports talk in 2015, joining the TSN Radio network as TSN Radio 1150. In 2021, Bell Media ended the TSN Radio formats at CKOC as it did with CFRW Winnipeg and CKST Vancouver. CKOC continued as BNN Bloomberg Radio.
When Bell Media put the station up for sale in 2024 amid broader AM cutbacks the CINA Media Group acquired CKOC (along with sister station CHAM). In August 19, 2024, the new owners relaunched it as 1150 CKOC with a classic hits format branded “Superhits of the 70s and 80s.” The station now pairs that music with local news, including weekday morning newscasts and a simulcast of CHCH-TV’s Evening News at 6 p.m.
CKOC facilities
The CKOC transmitter site near Empire Corners (Google Street View)
Technically, CKOC is a Class B regional station with 50,000 watts daytime and 20,000 watts at night from a six-tower directional array near Empire Corners in Haldimand County, about 25 kilometres south of Hamilton. The signal covers the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Its website is 1150ckoc.com.
A QSL for my reception of NSE Radio from Lima, Peru, broadcasting on 1180 kHz mediumwave.
Reception quality was poor. With good DX ears the ID is recognizable in the first clip at 4 seconds: “NSE Radio…”.
The second clip features a female voice with messages and a typical tune in the background. It sounds very familiar, I think it was in one of my childhood piano lessons, but can’t find the tune anymore. Anyone?
NSE is an abbreviation of Nuestra Señora del Encuentro con Dios. Broadcasting on 1180 AM from Lima, Peru, this Catholic station is part of the broader NSE Radio and TV network dedicated to evangelization. The underlying Marian devotion and apostolic works trace their inspiration to Father Rodrigo Molina, with the title “Nuestra Señora del Encuentro con Dios” emerging around 1994 in Spain; the media ministry itself has more than 20–30 years of experience and has expanded across Peru (including stations in Arequipa and Cusco) as well as to other Spanish-speaking countries such as Chile, Argentina, Colombia, and beyond, while also producing content shared with partners like EWTN, Radio Católica Mundial, and Vatican Radio.
The Lima AM outlet (historically noted at around 10 kW) serves as a key production and live-broadcast hub, airing 24-hour programming that emphasizes religious teaching, spiritual formation, evangelization, sacred and other music, news, cultural and educational content, and special live coverage of papal events, all aimed at drawing listeners closer to God through Mary in accordance with Catholic Scripture and Tradition, largely sustained by volunteer efforts.
On June 19th I received COPE Lugo broadcasting a message inviting listeners to switch to 90.0 FM if they wanted to continue to listen to COPE. So another one bites the dust…
Below my recording of their announcement which is somewhat compromised due to heavy thunderstorms as well as the fact that my loop is in a fixed 90/270 degrees position.
With 1000 kW the Roumoules transmitter is one of the most powerful mediumwave transmitters in the world. Built in 1987 it served Radio Monte Carlo broadcasts until March, 2020. The antennas are located in France, but the frequency is assigned to Monaco.
The religious broadcaster TWR has always used Radio Monte Carlo facilities, and since 1987 they also used Roumoules. And they continued doing so even when RMC seized their operations.
Since March 2026 the Roumoules facility has been made available to other parties. Radio Six was one of the first to launch a program “Midnight Rendezvous” and they were so friendly to QSL my reception report.
Below the recording I made of the program opening. Quality might be a bit compromised as my MW loop antenna had a fixed direction 90/270 degrees which I couldn’t change.
Radio De Vliegende Hollander (“The Flying Dutchman”) from Meppel, The Netherlands, can be heard quite well here in Coevorden on 1467 kHz. No surprise as the distance is only 37 kilometers. This LPAM station is broadcasting with 50 Watts, slightly lower than most Dutch LPAMs. At my previous QTH in Woerden I was never able to receive this station, as Radio Paradijs from nearby Utrecht was dominant. The first time I heard this station was on a clip my friend Arild Skalmeraas sent me to help with the station identification. Which means that Radio Vliegende Hollander already made it to Norway!
In the audioclip below you can hear the Radio Paradijs ID at 14 seconds, and much louder, the Radio De Vliegende Hollander ID at 22 seconds: “Dit is Radio de Vliegende Hollander, AM 1467 kHz, vanuit Nederland. Wil je meer informatie over ons, surf dan naar www.radiodevliegendehollander.nl . Radio de Vliegende Hollander te horen op AM, 1467 kHz, vanuit Meppel brengen we je het laatste nieuws”
Radio De Vliegende Hollander ID
My reception report sent to 1467am(at)radiodevliegendehollander.nl was answered by Koert who is the station owner. Koert happens to be a member of the VERON as well as the Benelux DX Club, just as I am. And therefore maybe no surprise that reception reports are awarded with a beautiful old school QSL card. Big thanks to Koert!
Old school QSL card from Radio De Vliegende Hollander (which is Dutch for Flying Dutchman)
Fully detailed QSL card for Radio De Vliegende Hollander
DX-ing mediumwave pirates is nice because sometimes you have email correspondence with fellow radio enthusiasts. I received Radio Turftrekker on 1638 kHz. Operator Jeroen wrote that he was ‘spoon-fed’ with mediumwave pirate radio as his father is also a mediumwave pirate. As a small child, he was listened in. Occasionally he was allowed to say something on the radio.
But it is also nice because some of the station names used remind you of the heritage of the Netherlands. Radio Markies is an example. And so is Radio Turftrekker. While the next paragraphs are not really about radio or DX, I just enjoyed writing them. Skip it if you want, but if you like it, please leave a comment!
About the name of Radio Turftrekker
A “Turftrekker” or “Peat Puller” was a worker that extracted peat using a scoop with a net attached. Peat was used as a fuel to heat houses before we switched to coal (and Holland what late in doing so). However, with the peat being extracted, deep pools of water formed in Holland.
“God created the earth, except for the Netherlands, for the Dutch did that themselves” is a well-known Dutch saying referring to the polders and reclaimed lands. But what is often forgotten is that the same Dutch first lost almost half their country due to peat extraction.
“Turftrekkers” extracting peat. A picture from 1895 used in schools.
The prime example is the Haarlemmermeer (Haarlem Lake), the polder in which Schiphol (Amsterdam International) Airport is situated today. In the Middle Ages four lakes were formed as a result of peat reclaiming. Additional illegal reclaiming and storms resulted in the collapse of dikes, allowing the lakes to merge into what became the Haarlemmermeer. That lake was so large that it became an inland sea, and with southwesterly storms, it expanded ever further in the direction of Amsterdam.
The collapse of the dike between Amsterdam and Haarlem
The Haarlemmermeer acquired the nickname “Waterwolf” as the water consumed more and more land. A beautiful artwork created in 2024 visualizes this. The Waterwolf seems to be at rest in this statue, as is the Haarlemmermeer.
The “Water Wolf” statue in the Haarlemmermeer. Finally at rest after 4 centuries.
Plans were made to reclaim the Haarlemmermeer as early as the 18th century. However, by then the lake was too large to be drained with windmill technology applied in the Beemster, Wormer, and Schermer polders. And so nothing could be done and devastating storms in 1836 caused parts of Leiden and Amsterdam to flood.
The Haarlmemermeer in 1740, top left the city of Haarlem, top right Amsterdam
But fortunately there was the introduction of the steam engine. In May 1840, thousands of laborers began digging a 60-kilometer-long ring canal and constructing a ring dike with shovels and spades. Three steam pumping stations were built: De Leeghwater, De Cruquius, and De Lynden. On July 1, 1852, the Haarlemmermeer was completely drained, and the development and parcelling of the more than 18,500 hectares of new land could begin.
One of the steam engines draining the Haarlemmermeer
Back to Radio “Turftrekker”. Jeroen mentioned he didn’t have a QSL card. I proposed this design based on the school picture shown above. What do you think?
During the Pirate Hunt 2026 event I was able to log Radio Kristal, broadcasting from Twente, East Netherlands on 1655 kHz.
Operator Jan confirmed my reception with a nice eQSL featuring the offshore radiostation Veronica. The station I grew up with as a child.
Radio Kristal works with a tube transmitter and inverted V antenna. Jan mentioned that he is active for 47 years on AM and his station has been raided by the “Radiocontroledienst” (the authorities) twice.
ZoomRock FM is a new station broadcasting with 730 Watts only on 1242 kHz from Turku, Finland. Despite the fact that the provisional loop antenna that I use at our temporary house is directed east/west, which is not optimal, I was able to receive this station in the first two weeks of April, identify a couple of songs and record an ID. Harri was so kind to reward my reception with a nice QSL. The station shares the frequency with the 200 kW strong Radio Sultanate of Oman. But after 2h UTC that station (listed 24h) is either off air or fades out (I don’t know). Between 2h and 2:30 h UTC ZoomRock FM is audible.
Below a MP3 clip with the “bassy” ZoomRock FM station ID. Poor reception quality. If you want to hear a better recording, you can find one at Hugo Matten’s site.
I had a nice email conversation with Harri, the man behind ZoomRock FM. He told me that he received 130 reports, my report was the 2nd from The Netherlands. On the Facebook page Harri shows his equipment. A neat transmitter, but also an impressive antenna set up as he is apparently allowed to hook up his 2×58 m dipole to a commercial antenna tower.
ZoomRock FM transmitter
ZoomRock FM dipole antenna
It also turns out that Harri is an avid DX-er. Using two virtual SDRs he is trying to receive Transatlantic FM signals. Two YouTube videos show the locations and the stunning scenery:
Another catch during the Pirate Hunt 2026 held in the Easter weekend was Radio Alabama on 1620 kHz. Manfred from Radio Alabama was so kind to confirm my request with a kind email. He mentioned that he is broadcasting from the Netherlands with a staggering 2000 Watt homemade mosfet transmitter. But I’m afraid his location is on my null of the loop, and his antenna set-up might imply I’m a little bit in the dead zone.
And no the logo above is not the one from Free Radio Alabama. But I liked it a lot.
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