Category Archives: Shortwave Radio

Giuseppe’s Clever Homebrew Ferrite Antenna for MW and SW Listening

Screenshot

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè, who writes:

Dear Thomas,
I’m Giuseppe Morlè, IZ0GZW, from Formia in central Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

This is one of my builds from a few years ago: the T Ferrite antenna. It’s a minimal antenna designed mainly for mediumwave, but it also performs well on shortwave.

Inside the tube at the top are two 12 cm ferrite rods with 32 turns of telephone wire wrapped around them—this section is for mediumwave. Then, on the outside of the tube, I added four more turns for shortwave. A variable capacitor of about 1000 pF completes the circuit.

Shortwave is activated with an alligator clip. When the clip is removed, only the mediumwave section is active.

I tested this antenna with my old Trio 9R-59DS from the 1970s—a tube receiver still in perfect condition. To my pleasant surprise, the receiver paired beautifully with the antenna.

These tests were done on mediumwave in the early afternoon yesterday while it was still light outside. With the antenna placed above the receiver inside my shack, I was able to receive stations from across the Mediterranean basin and Eastern Europe, even in areas where the sun had already set. I really enjoy testing this antenna before evening, and I’m very satisfied with its performance.

You can see the results in this video on my YouTube channel:

I hope this will be of interest to the friends in the SWLing Post community.

Best regards to you and to all,
Giuseppe Morlè, IZ0GZW

We always enjoy checking out your homebrew antenna designs, Giuseppe! Thank you!

NDR’s “Gruß an Bord” Christmas Broadcast Returns for 2025

Photo by Borderpolar Photographer

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor David Iurescia for sharing the following news and holiday tradition from NDR Hörfunk.

Each Christmas Eve, NDR airs its beloved “Gruß an Bord” (Greetings on Board) program–a broadcast of messages from families in Germany to loved ones serving at sea. It’s a tradition stretching back to 1953, connecting crews on merchant ships, research vessels, and naval ships with home during the holidays.

To ensure these greetings reach listeners far beyond FM and online streams, NDR has leased shortwave frequencies once again this year. Here’s the 2024 recording recorded by Richard Langley on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive.

Between 18:00 and 21:00 UTC (19:00–22:00 CET), the program will be transmitted on the following frequencies:

Shortwave Frequencies (December 24, 18:00–21:00 UTC):
• Europe: 6080 kHz
• Atlantic – Northwest: 15770 kHz
• Atlantic – South: 13830 kHz
• Atlantic – Northeast: 6030 kHz
• Indian Ocean: 9635 kHz
• Atlantic / Indian Ocean / South Africa: 11650 kHz

If you’ve never heard Greetings on Board, I highly recommend giving it a listen.

You can read the full article here: https://www.yacht.de/en/special/people/greetings-on-board-ndr-broadcasts-christmas-messages/

Let us know if you plan to tune in and when you do, any notes about the broadcast.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of CGTN, NHK, and Radio Taiwan International (December 6, 2025)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report of recent CGTN, NHK, and Radio Taiwan International broadcasts.


Carlos notes:

China, Japan, Taiwan: War of Words on the Shortwave (CGTN, NHK, Radio Taiwan International)

Click here to view on YouTube.

TEMPLATE: Alan Roe’s B-25 Season Guide to Music on Shortwave (version 2.0)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who shares his B-25 (version 2.0) season guide to music on shortwave. Alan provides this amazing resource as a free PDF download.

Click here to download Music on Shortwave B-25 v2.0 (PDF)

Alan has also created at-a-glance, single-page PDF programme grids for BBC World Service, CGTN Radio, Radio Romania International, Voice of Turkey, and Radio Taiwan International — all updated for the B-25 broadcast season and published last week. If you’d like to download these, visit Alan’s Box account here: http://tinyurl.com/shortwaveprograms

As always, thank you for sharing your excellent guide, Alan!

This dedicated page will always have the latest version of Alan’s guide available for download.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of CGTN (December 3, 2025)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report of a recent CGTN broadcast.


Carlos notes:

CGTN+Kyodo News: China and Russia agree to cooperate in the fight against Japan.

Click here to view on YouTube.

Today’s Kyodo News Evening Edition, radiofax received in Porto Alegre.

Ian Spots a Snoopy-Themed Shortwave Boombox at MOMA

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Ian Millett, who writes:

On a recent visit to the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), in the kids section of the Design Store, I spotted a retro boombox with AM, FM, and SW bands. MOMA sells the Snoopy-themed BX-85 Bluetooth Cassette Player Boombox, by Retrospekt, for $99 to non-members.

The cassette player’s door has a drawing of our favorite beagle Snoopy in his Joe Cool persona listening to a radio. Peanuts creator Charles Shulz drew a strip published on July 12, 1981, that has Snoopy listening to a “bark” show (sic) on a tabletop radio. We don’t know the coverage of that comic strip radio.

The bandspread on the Retrospekt boombox shows it covers Shortwave 8 to 16 MHz and FM 88 to 108 MHz. Interestingly, the bandspread shows AM coverage from 530 to 1600 kHz. Even the coverage is retro.

Ian Millett N3CVA
Baltimore, MD

Sunny Jim’s Trance Journey: Schedule for December 2025

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor James Salmon, who shares the following announcement:

The December edition of ‘Sunny Jim’s Trance Journey’ is now available for your delectation!
Once again a 60 minute show with a selection of electronic music that I’m currently enjoying!
Transmission schedule below, & further details together with an online player on our webpage at sjtjradio.com.

I am happy to issue eQSL’s for all listening reports – let me know how you are receiving the programme!

Happy Listening!