Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Loyd Van Horn (W4LVH) of DX Central, who shares the following announcements:

DX Central Live! Returns for Season 7, Introducing “The DX Challenge” and Enhanced Interactive Live Logging

MANDEVILLE, La. — September 11, 2026 — DX Central, the premier multimedia brand for the radio DXing community, officially launches Season 7 of DX Central Live! tonight. The season premiere ushers in a completely redesigned broadcast format, bringing DXers worldwide closer to the dial with new interactive tools, real-time logging sessions, and the debut of a comprehensive new weekly competition platform.

The live broadcast kicks off tonight at 18:45 Central (23:45 UTC), preceded by the community-favorite “DX Party” and “The Countdown” pre-shows beginning at 18:05 Central.

“This season is entirely about breaking down the barriers between the host and the audience,” said Loyd Van Horn, host of DX Central Live!. “We are spending significantly more time this year actually spinning the dials and DXing live right alongside the viewers. Whether you are chasing groundwave signals or waiting for the next massive tropospheric ducting event, we are doing it together in real time.”

Season 7 introduces several major upgrades and community features:

• • The Launch of “The DX Challenge”: Retiring the former Mediumwave Frequency Challenge, DX Central is introducing “The DX Challenge.” Housed on a brand-new, custom-built web application with advanced radio logging and leaderboard analytics, the platform takes the weekly competition to an entirely new level. DXers can participate by visiting dxchallenges.com.

  • Live Interactive DXing: A core focus of Season 7 will be dedicated, on-air live logging. The newly designed DX Central Live! studio allows the audience to follow along as signals are pulled from the static in real time, encouraging viewers to fire up their own receivers and log alongside the broadcast.

  • Community Shoutouts: Recognizing the incredible catches made during the off-season—including the historic 2026 summer Sporadic E openings—the platform has integrated a dedicated shoutout system. Viewers can submit their latest loggings and milestones at dxchallenges.com/shoutout to be featured directly on the live broadcast and live permanently in our new challenge app.

  • Expanded Pre-Show Entertainment: The season premiere sees the return of The DX Party hosted by Rachel and The Countdown hosted by Mark Munroe. These pre-show segments feature a curated rotation of exclusive DX-themed music from DX Radio, setting a welcoming, communal atmosphere before the main event begins.

In addition to the live stream updates, DX Central continues to offer exclusive benefits, beta-testing opportunities for new app features, and private live streams to its “Studio C” supporters via Patreon. Fans of the broadcast’s custom music can also access a 24/7 library of DX-themed tracks at the official home of DX Radio, thisisprobablydxradio.com.

DX Central Launches Season 7 of The DX Challenge Alongside an All-New Web App

Redesigned platform makes it easier than ever for DXers to submit logs, track awards, explore reception maps, and participate in weekly challenges

MANDEVILLE, La. — Friday, September 11, 2026 — DX Central has launched a rebranded Season 7 of The DX Challenge (formerly the MW Frequency Challenge), introducing an entirely new web application designed to make participating simpler, faster, and more rewarding for DXers of every experience level.

In previous seasons, participants often had to enter the same reception in multiple places: their personal logbook, services such as MWList or FMList, and a separate WPForms submission form. Results were then presented through Looker Studio dashboards. Although that system made the challenge possible, it also created extra work and could make participation feel more complicated than it needed to be.

The new DX Challenge app brings the entire experience together in one place.

“The goal for Season 7 was simple: spend less time entering the same information over and over, and more time actually enjoying the DX,” said Loyd Van Horn, founder of DX Central. “We wanted to create something that feels welcoming to a first-time participant while still providing the maps, statistics, award tracking, and detailed analysis experienced DXers love.”

After signing in, participants create their Home or portable receiving locations once. The app can then use that location to sort stations by distance, calculate reception paths, determine MW dayparts, and produce personalized geographic statistics.

DXers can submit a reception individually by selecting a station from the built-in station search and reviewing the details before saving. The app remembers frequently used settings—including band, frequency, live-versus-recorded reception, SDR use, portable operation, and propagation mode—to make consecutive logging quicker.

Participants with existing electronic logs can use the new bulk-import system. Dedicated importers support:

• • FMList

  • MWList

  • WTFDA WLogger

  • Custom CSV and Excel files

The custom importer allows DXers to map their existing columns to The DX Challenge fields. Imported records are normalized and reviewed before being accepted, helping reduce inconsistent station names, incorrect date formats, duplicate receptions, and false station matches.

Participants may also edit or delete their own reception records directly within the app. Their eligible logs can be exported for personal use without exposing the proprietary station databases used by the challenge.

Season 7 includes activity across the medium wave, FM, and NOAA Weather Radio bands. Season-long challenges remain available throughout their scheduled periods, while special weekly challenges automatically appear when active. The app applies the appropriate dates, frequencies, bands, geographic requirements, propagation modes, and other rules without requiring participants to learn a new submission process each week.

The new platform also provides:

• • Personalized award progress and endorsement tracking
  • Current, previous, and future challenge listings
  • Season and challenge-specific leaderboards
  • Reception statistics with extensive filtering
  • Choropleth maps for states, provinces, countries, counties, and grid squares
  • Interactive station-location and reception-path maps
  • Bandscan and reception-history tools
  • Multiple light, dark, and high-contrast display themes
  • Accessibility and time-display preferences
  • Support tickets and feature requests inside the app
  • Community shoutouts and recently achieved milestones
  • A complete illustrated user guide

The app was created with generative-AI coding assistance under human direction and review. DX Central has published an expanded privacy and transparency statement explaining what information the platform stores, how it is used, what participants may see, and how the app’s AI-assisted development differs from AI data processing. The deployed app does not automatically send participant profiles, locations, reception logs, imports, support tickets, or shoutouts to an AI model.

“The DX Challenge has always been about encouraging people to turn on the radio, learn their band, try something new, and share the excitement of what they hear,” Van Horn added. “The new app gives us the platform we have wanted for years, one that can grow with the community without placing more work on the DXers participating.”

The DX Challenge Season 7 app is available at:https://dxchallenges.com