The Curious Case of the Nibi-Nibi Islands

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Bob Colegrove, who writes:

Hi Thomas,

No mention of UTC or frequency in the attached. Made my day, but some folks apparently were not amused.

Nibi-Nibi Islands
A few months ago there appeared in the bulletins of various clubs and organizations an item about a new station located in the Nibi-Nibi Islands.
Additional reports on this station have been received from time to time, with the latest report containing information on new programming.
The National Geographic Society claims that there is no such island. And investigation into the situation by several veteran DX'ers has failed to locate the original source of the information. It is believed now that the entire episode was a hoax. While it may have begun as a harmless prank, it has, nevertheless, consumed the time and efforts of the editors of many clubs, organizations, and
DX programs.
This sort of thing has no place in short-wave listening. It is sincerely hoped that all DX'ers will be on the lookout for such obviously phony reporting and will do all they can to discourage any repetition of this kind.

Source was “Short-Wave Report” by Hank Bennett, Popular Electronics, Ziff-Davis Publishing Co., New York, p. 86, March 1959.

Regards,

Bob Colegrove

This absolutely made my day as well, Bob! What a delightful bit of pranksterism from our esteemed DXing history.

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4 thoughts on “The Curious Case of the Nibi-Nibi Islands

  1. Don W8SWL

    Almost as bad as the QSL reported to NASWA’s QSL column editor Sam Barto from XEROX, Radio Duplicato in Mexico.

    Reply
  2. Robert LaRose

    Back in those days there was also “Radio Vigo” (Spain) that was reported on many shortwave frequencies that also turned out to be a hoax. I believe both of these hoaxes originated in Scandinavia, where many of the most active DXers resided at the time.

    Reply
  3. Ron Hunsicker

    Perhaps Nibi-Nibi is a play on words. According to the web, “nibi” means water in the Ojibwe language (related to the Chippewa in Canada). Thus, the Nibi-Nibi Islands are the Water-Water Islands and perhaps indistinguishable from the water around them, making them imaginary.

    Sadly, it’s too late to ask Hank if he had any Chippewa friends!

    Reply

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