Tag: MF (Page 1 of 11)

QSL KXEL 1540 AM Waterloo

November 11, 2026 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

Two years ago, News Talk 1540 KXEL Waterloo was the first radio station I received from Iowa. But only on the third attempt I was able to get a QSL for my report.

The often heard slogan is “Where Iowa Comes to Talk”:

First taking to the airwaves on July 14, 1942, KXEL made history as the first radio station in the United States to debut with a maximum 50,000-watt clear-channel signal. The reason being that it had to serve the more remote areas of Iowa.

KXEL is one of two Class A stations in Iowa, along with WHO in Des Moines. By day, KXEL has a non-directional signal. But at night, to protect other stations on 1540 AM from interference, it uses a two-tower array. ZNS-1 1540 in Nassau, Bahmas, shares Class A status with KXEL, so KXEL’s nighttime pattern is a cardioid-shaped pattern aimed north.

In its early years, KXEL served as a prominent affiliate of the NBC Blue Network (which later became ABC Radio), delivering news, sports, and entertainment during the Golden Age of Radio. During the 1950s, the station became embroiled in a fierce, high-profile legal battle with rival station KWWL over the licensing rights for Waterloo’s TV Channel 7, a dispute that ultimately ended with KXEL being denied the television license.

Despite transitioning through various music and adult standards formats over the decades, KXEL has retained its powerful clear-channel status. It continues to broadcast today as the place “Where Iowa Comes To Talk”. It is probably also the easiest “K” call sign that you can receive from the Netherlands.

KXEL, over 6900 kilometers, and one of the easier “K” call signs that I am able to receive

QSL Radio Marina 1107 kHz

November 8, 2026 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

Radio Marina is broadcasting with 20 Watts only from Vigonovo (near Padua) in Italy. With quite a bit of interference from TalkSport Radio (UK) on the same frequency I was only able to copy them when they were sending a morse signal:

My report was answered within a day with a friendly email in Italian, translated like this:

Yes Peter I confirm that you have actually listened to Radio Marina in 1107 Khz, and we thank you very much. This small activity does not broadcast music due to copyright problems as it is non-commercial and non-profit, except during the Christmas period with themed music. For this reason this jingle with the Morse message inserted was chosen for all the most distant radio listeners.

We broadcast from Vigonovo in the province of Venice. The name Radio Marina is registered with the Italian MIMIT.
Some technical data: 20w on 300w authorized by the ministry with 70mt wire antenna tuned by tuning booth. As soon as possible I will send you a QSL card
Marine Radio
Via C. Battisti 10A
30030 Vigonovo – VE-
Italy
Hello, we would be very pleased to receive a small receipt report from you via regular mail.
73 Radio Marina

Of course I sent them a nice QSL card and I got theirs in return.

Radio Marina, Vigonovo: 20 Watts, 910 km

QSL WOAI 1200 AM San Antonio TX

November 3, 2026 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

1200 kHz is typically dominated by WXKS Newton. But on November 1st, with WXKS Newton silent for a few seconds the station ID of WOAI News Radio 1200 from San Antonio, Texas, was audible. Put your headphones on, because this one isn’t easy:

Thanks to Max van Arnhem I could get in touch with Brian Erickson who confirmed my report:

WOAI, San Antonio’s oldest radio station, signed on September 25, 1922, initially at 1190 kHz with 500 watts reaching the legal limit of 50,000 watts by 1930.⁠ In 1941 it moved to the clear-channel frequency of 1200 kHz, where its nighttime signal blanketed much of the central United States and beyond. Today it is owned by iHeartMedia who have their head quarters in San Antonio, which makes WOAI their flagship station.⁠

Note: WOAI is located west of the Mississippi River but has a “W” and not a “K” call sign as stations licensed before 1923 were allowed to keep their original call signs.

QSL BBN Medellín 1590 kHz

October 14, 2026 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

A QSL from BBN (Bible Broadcasting Network) broadcasting from Medellín on 1590 kHz. My report to red(at)bbnmedia.org was answered with in a day.

Below a brief audioclip of my reception:

BBN is may less know that stations like TWR or AWR among DX-ers. The main reason being that the station doesn’t broadcast on shortwave.The first time I received a BBN (Bible Broadcasting Network) radio station was in 2024 during my stay on the island of Curacao when I heard BBN Bogotá, Colombia on 1100 kHz. One year later I heard BBN Caracas, from Venezuela on 1250 kHz, again from Curacao. With a much improved antenna I finally managed to hear BBN at my home QTH in Woerden in december 2025, this time from Panama on 1350 kHz.

QSL WHBY AM 1150 Kimberly / Appleton

October 9, 2026 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

A nice letter sent by email to confirm my reception of WHBY 1150 AM broadcasting from Kimberly with studios in Appleton, Wisconsin, USA.

WHBY went on air as early as April 5th, 2025, licensed in Kimberly, Wisconsin, serving the Appleton–Fox Cities and Green Bay area. As a commercial station it initially broadcast on 1200 kHz, with the randomly assigned call letters that inspired the slogan “Where Happy Boys Yodel.”
After surviving early regulatory reviews by the Federal Radio Commission, it remained a local outlet at 100 watts (later authorized for higher daytime power), shifted to 1230 kHz under the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement in 1941, and gradually centered its operations in the Fox River Valley, including a move toward Appleton in the mid-1930s.
Woodward Communications acquired the station in 1975 and steered it further into news, talk, and sports; in 1991 the company bought WYNE on 1150 kHz for $965,000 so WHBY could move to that frequency and raise its power, eventually reaching 20,000 watts by day and 25,000 at night.

Below the MP3 recording of my reception:

QSL Radio Taiwan International via FRS 1143 kHz

October 4, 2026 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

When I received Fishery Radio Station Taiwan on 1143 kHz with an English program from Radio Taiwan International I sent RTI a reception report as well. It was answered with this colorful QSL card that arrived in 2 weeks by mail.
For more information and audio recordings please check the post on my reception of Taiwan Area Fishery Radio Station from two weeks ago.

QSL Taiwan Area Fishery Radio Station 1143 kHz

September 23, 2026 / Peter Reuderink / 2 Comments

A QSL letter from Taiwan Chu Yuyeh Kuangpo Tientai, 台灣區漁業廣播電台
(Táiwān Qū Yúyè Guǎngbō Diàntái). Also known as Taiwan Area Fishery Radio Station on 1143 kHz. With 100 kW they also broadcast on 738 kHz. I couldn’t copy them there unlike other Benelux DX Club members. Their third frequency is 1593 kHz but that one has 3 kW only.

It is always a pleasure to receive a nice envelope that has traveled halfway around the world:

I heard them at 19:59 h UTC with time pips and a female ID for Fishery Radio:

Much stronger was the reception a later that evening with a Radio Taiwan International program:

By the way: Radio Taiwan International confirmed my reception as well with a f/d email and promised a dedicated QSL card. Let’s see.

Taiwan Area Fishery Radio Station (now Fisheries Radio Station, or FRS) is a government-run mediumwave service created to keep fishermen at sea informed and safe. It broadcasts 24 hours a day on AM 738 kHz and 1143 kHz from Penghu and 1593 kHz from Yilan. Programs are also carried in parts of eastern Taiwan by partner stations.

Taiwan is surrounded by sea and has a large fishing industry. In 1980 the Ministry of National Defense’s General Political Warfare Headquarters asked the Intelligence Bureau to plan a dedicated station that would deliver timely, accurate marine weather and related information so crews could protect lives and property and make better use of ocean resources. Trial weather broadcasts began on 1 July 1983. After provincial government reorganization in 1999 the station moved under the Fisheries Agency. It has belonged to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Fisheries Agency since 1 August 2023.

Programming also includes general information and entertainment and is produced in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Filipino, and indigenous languages to reach both local fishermen and foreign crew members. Mediumwave was chosen because it travels well over water and can be received on simple shipboard radios far from shore.

QSL WMLB 1690 kHz Avondale Estates

September 11, 2026 / Peter Reuderink / 3 Comments

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.

QSL CKOC Hamilton 1150 AM

September 7, 2026 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

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.

QSL NSE Radio Lima 1180 kHz

August 16, 2026 / Peter Reuderink / 2 Comments

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.