The wonderful world of listening to the radio
QSL Radio Batavia 6280 kHz. I received a brief email and an e-QSL card for my report to radiobatavia@hotmail.com . Radio Batavia is a pirate station operating from the Netherlands. They use a home made tube receiver on an inverted V antenna 2×12 meter. When I listened to them they played a Radio Batavia song.
A QSL Radio Mi Amigo 6085 kHz via Kall-Krekel in Germany. Funny thing is that this is my first Radio Mi Amigo QSL. I know for sure that I have sent various reports to “Radio Mi Amigo” programs in the distant past.
Lion Keezer was so kind to reply to my reception report within a day. Lion grew up with the pirate stations in the 60ies, and in 1972 he stepped on board Mi Amigo for the first time.
I don’t think that following their off shore days the organizations presenting themselves as Radio Mi Amigo were very professional. But today that is definitely very different. Radio Mi Amigo connects with their audience through their website, newsletter , via Facebook and via Twitter and Instagram.
Some of their programmes can be listened to via Mixcloud. And if you are interested in off shore radio in the 70-ies, please do check out the iBook: ‘Pirate Radio Ships in the 70s’
A QSL for Johnny Tobacco Radio on 6275 kHz. At first I thought I received Akenzo, which is also broadcasting on this frequency.
Johnny Tobacco runs a 1.5 kW transmitter on a dipole. And yep it was “booming in”. Location is in the north east of the Netherlands. I heard “Abu Dhabi” as an alternate ID. I got the address through this excellent website: https://shortwavedx.blogspot.com/
QSL PowerRumpel via Channel 292, Germany. PowerRumpel is a program maker that has been active via Channel 292 for quite a while. But somehow I had never listened to them. I was pleasantly surprised this weekend tuning into their program telling the story of the Rain Man movie and playing music from the sound track.
The QSL nicely reflects the program content. I sent my report to radiopr@partyheld.de . Their coming broadcasts are scheduled on 6070 kHz for each 2nd Sunday of the month on 18 h UTC, with a repeat on the next Friday, also on 6070 kHz, 18 h UTC. Theme of the June broadcast will be the movie Barfuss (Barefoot).
I’m not always DX-ing, sometimes I just like to listen to shortwave radio. Atlantic 2000 International, broadcasting via Channel 292 is one of my favourites. This is a QSL for the Atlantic 2000 International broadcast in May.
On their website you can learn that the name Atlantic 2000 is much older than 45 years. That name belonged to a station broadcasting from San Sebastian to the French Atlantic Coast, with roots going back to Radio Andorra. Following the death of dictator Franco this station was closed in 1975 by the Spanish government. The FM broadcasts from the French Atlantic coast starting in 1978 were a tribute to this station.
With Impact AM from Wassenaar frequently dropping off the air, I had the opportunity to listen to, and QSL Zender Zanussi & Radio Hercules on 819 kHz. I sent my report to radio819am@hotmail.com .
Zender Zanussi & Radio Hercules is (are) operated by two brothers Johan and Andre. On Saturdays Johan runs Radio Hercules playing English music mainly. On Sundays Andre runs Zender Zanussi with with mainly Dutch music. And indeed I heard Zender Zanussi with polka music (the music typically played by pirate stations from the Netherlands) and some German classics as well.
Johan and Andre have been active in the pirate scene since 1977. But like a few other stations in the eastern part of the Netherlands they used the opportunity created in 2016 to start a legal 100 W LPAM operation. They are active on 819 kHz since December 2023 from the village of Mastenbroek, Overijssel province, The Netherlands. In the western provinces of the Netherlands Impact AM is usually dominant on 819 kHz. The other LPAM station “Studio Denakker” from Klazienaveen is apparently not active yet.
Last weekend I was able to receive Radio Casanova International on 6060 kHz. This is a legal shortwave station broadcasting from Winterswijk in The Netherlands. They are in the air on 6020 and 6060 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They use 400W, 1600 PEP via an inverted V antenna. Within a few hours I received their beautiful eQSL via radiocasanova@hotmail.com .
Despite their strong signal the reception quality was a bit compromised due to interference from solar panels as it was a sunny day.
I received a paper QSL card, nice letter and sticker for my reception of FRS Holland on 5940 and 7405 kHz. I sent my report to P.O.Box 2702, 6049 ZG Herten, The Netherlands, and added 5 Euro. They also have an email address frs@frsholland.nl and a new website: https://frsholland.nl/
The station started in 1980, and has been off and on in the air. On their website you can find plenty of info about the rich history of this station. They welcome QSLs, also for reports from WebSDRs. If you want to receive a hard copy (paper) QSL please make sure to included 3 Euro or USD to cover return postage. More info on: https://frsholland.nl/qsl-policy/
The QSL that I received is on glossy paper, A5 format, printed on both sides. You can actually choose a QSL card design from their collection of legacy QSLs. The one I received was #5 showing the Akai tape recorder used to produce jingles.
It looks like the next broadcasts of FRS Holland are scheduled for July 21st and 28th, do check their website!
A brief email to QSL Port Said Radio on 2187.5 kHz. I received the station in February acknowledging a DSC test message from a tanker Dilos anchored in Port Said Harbour. Initially I tried to reach out to the Port Said Harbour authorities via psp@portsaid.gov.eg , but without success. Rob (IZEROCDM) at DX Fanzine was so kind to share the portsaid.radio@te.eg address that delivered him the QSL. Thank you so much Rob!
This is only my 2nd QSL from Egypt. I don’t know how many reports I sent to Radio Cairo… but they were all to no avail.
The other Egyptian QSL I have is from the Middle East News Agency (MENA). I vividly remember how in 1993 I built a small RTTY decoder using an OpAmp (918?). It ran with software on the first PC I owned, an IBM PS/2 with an 80286 Intel CPU (10 MHz). With only one purpose… to get a QSL from my 181st radio country.
I have heard AWR stations from many countries. While staying on Curacao I heard them on 1470 kHz from Medellin, Colombia. It is possible to hear this station with 5/1 kiloWatts in Europe…. My reception report to contacto@esperanzaradio.co was confirmed after 5 weeks with a brief email:
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