Music on Shortwave from Down Under

by Dan Greenall

Sometimes, while I’m puttering around at my desk, I like to listen to some music on the radio without the chatter of commercials and other talk interruptions. Now, in the dead of winter here in Canada, I often find myself looking for stations in warmer climates to help “escape” from all the bitter cold, ice, and snow. A few of these are low-powered stations in Australia, and can be accessed via SDR reception or even online. They are heavy on the music with less talk/announcements, and any of them would be a great DX catch outside of Australia and New Zealand.

Bay Islands Radio, Russell Island (near Brisbane), Queensland

5045 kHz shortwave or 88 MHz FM on the air 24/7

They advertise Monday to Friday 70’s-90’s remixes and pub rock weekends with old school rock.

Here are two recordings made recently using the VK4KY SDR:

They also stream online here: https://www.bayislandsradio.com.au/

Domestic Shortwave Australia VL8K, near Bendigo, Victoria

4835 kHz (24/7) and 2310 kHz (local night time) shortwave.

This is a low powered station owned and operated by VK3ASE, Dave, from a rural property near Bendigo, Victoria. It has been on the air since 2022 offering random, generally pre-recorded programs of music such as the Swingin’ 60’s with Paul Peters that I happened across one weekend. Good reception can be had through the use of various SDR’s located in Victoria or neighbouring South Australia, though I have heard them on some in New Zealand and Perth (Western Australia) at times putting in a respectable signal. Actual station ID’s are brief and seem to be aired sporadically in the middle of a musical selection. Examples of this can be heard in the two attached recordings.

Recording #1 (April 18, 2025)

“You are listening to VL8K Domestic Shortwave Australia on 4835 or 2310 kilohertz.” Listen around the 3:17 mark:

Recording #2 (April 10, 2025)

“Contact this station at VL8K at Outlook dot com.” Listen around the 2:11 mark:

Radio 567, Wee Waa, New South Wales

4970 and 2325 kHz shortwave (SW currently offline but check periodically).

Mostly rock and roll from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s

Here are two recordings made in April 2025, one using the VK2GGC SDR and the other via one in New Zealand:

They also stream online here: https://radio567.com.au/

I hope you enjoy tuning in to these entertaining low powered outlets.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of IRIB World Service (February 18, 2026)

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

Carlos notes:

Russia’s Lavrov warns against US strike on Iran, Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran, 15320 kHz

“…Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that any new U.S. strike on Iran would have serious and adverse consequences.

Lavrov called for restraint, urging a solution that allows Iran to pursue a peaceful nuclear program. He said Arab countries are also sending clear signals to Washington, calling for restraint to prevent an escalation of tensions, adding any move in that direction would be playing with fire.

Lavrov noted that U.S. strikes on Iran in June 2025 undermined the authority of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. He also said those attacks carried real risks of a nuclear incident. His comments came amid a sharp rise in threatening rhetoric from Washington and a massive U.S. military buildup near and off the coast of Iran…”

Click here to view on YouTube.

The Genesis of Carlos Latuff’s Illustrated Radio Listening Reports

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Carlos Latuff, who writes:

The first time I thought about illustrating news I listened to on the radio, I was a kid, in the kitchen of my aunt’s apartment, I think in the 80s. From her Philco Transglobe receiver, I was informed that a sea lion had appeared on Copacabana beach, or something like that. I imagined what it would be like to draw that unusual event. But it remained just an idea; I never got around to drawing it.

The 20th century passed, and in 2019, I decided to rescue that childhood idea from the past. I made my first illustrated radio logbook:

This minilog would be the embryo of what I now call an “Illustrated Radio Listening Report.” A way to record, in illustration form, historical moments listened on the radio.

I hope to leave to those who come after me, research material, both on History and on radio. With this in mind, I’m making available here on SWLing Post this PDF with some of my illustrated reports of news captured by radio in 2025, related to climate change, a crucial theme of our times. This is my legacy as an artist AND radio enthusiast. Enjoy! ?

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of IRIB World Service (February 18, 2026)

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Carlos notes:

Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran (in Hebrew), 15320 kHz

Click here to view on YouTube.

Station to station

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Greetings all SWLing Post community! The whole Imaginary Station crew get on board to bring a tribute to all things train wise with CTRN on Saturday 21st February at 1200 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and then again on Sunday 22nd February at 1000/1400/2100 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz (via the services of Shortwave Gold).

If you love locomotives you will this show, they’ll be tunes about out-of-date timetables, railway sleepers, abandoned platforms and a live reading by the Longbridge Trainspotters Society from their new book called “Who’d be a ticket inspector?” (*Subject to availability and of course if the trains are running on time and they make it into the studio). So, grab a hot drink and a complimentary snack from trolley service and tune in and enjoy!

And we’ll be continuing the CTRN journey after a refuel and a water stop via WRMI on Wednesday 25^th February 2026 at 0300 UTC on 9395 kHz.

For more information on all our shows, please write to us at [email protected] and check out our old shows at our Mixcloud page here.

FastRadioBurst23

After CPB: Public Media Infrastructure (PMI) Takes Shape

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor NT, for sharing this article on the emergence of Public Media Infrastructure (PMI) — the new nonprofit consortium formed to take up key public media infrastructure and distribution roles as Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) winds down. PMI, created through a substantial CPB grant, has now appointed its inaugural Board of Trustees, featuring leaders from across the public radio community, and is shaping up to support shared infrastructure, distribution services, and technology for stations nationwide as the public media landscape evolves.

Read the full article here: https://www.insideradio.com/free/cpb-successor-pmi-takes-shape-with-leadership-and-members/article_b1e40997-0691-4238-b95c-5b0891f68a81.html

Celebrating 90 Years of Radio Bulgaria’s English Voice

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor David Iurescia who shares the following article from Radio Bulgaria–a retrospective that traces the history of the English Service of Bulgarian National Radio, marking nine decades of international broadcasting that brought Bulgaria’s news, culture, and music to listeners around the world.