Author Archives: Thomas

Iran State TV Bombed as USAGM Scrambles to Recall VOA Staff

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Ed, who writes:

Hi Thomas,

Some SWLing Post readers may be interested in seeing video of a television studio of Iranian State broadcaster Iran News Network being bombed during a live broadcast.

Click here to read the story via the AP.

Many SWLing Post readers know that radio and TV broadcast facilities are typically attacked in wartime by opposing military forces to ‘control the airwaves’ and influence public opinion. It will be interesting to see if/when the Israeli military starts clandestine broadcasts into Iran.

Reportedly U.S. Agency for Global Media’s (USAGM) is seeking to re-hire many workers it recently fired in a mass USAGM purge, now that the U.S. needs to broadcast into Middle East conflict zones and influence public opinion using Alhurra TV, Radio Sawa, and VOA.

-Ed

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of NHK (June 13, 2025)

Kyodo News Radiofax English Edition: June 13, 2025

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following Kyodo News radiofax from June 13, 2025. Carols writes:

Today’s Kyodo News English Edition radiofax, received in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 16970 kHz (USB):

Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear and missile sites, prompting Iranian drone-strike retaliation
Over 240 dead, 1 survives in Air India plane crash, airline says
Asian shares slide while oil prices surge after Israel’s strike on Iran
Nationwide protests against immigration raids escalate, leading to arrests and curfews
Hegseth says the Pentagon has contingency plans to invade Greenland if necessary
UN votes overwhelmingly to demand Gaza ceasefire, hostage release and aid access

KTWR Guam: Dan suggests you log a piece of radio history…today!

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who writes:

Hi Thomas

Regarding your recent post on June 5: https://swling.com/blog/2025/06/twr-guam-to-end-broadcasting/

KTWR, Trans World Radio has recently announced they will be ending their shortwave broadcasts from Agana, Guam by October 31, 2025. However, unlike some stations that have vanished somewhat abruptly, there are still a few months remaining to log this station before they are gone from the airwaves forever. As well, with the help of various SDR’s located around the globe, this task should not be too difficult. The attached recording was made this past weekend on June 8, 2025, through the use of a Kiwi SDR located in northern Thailand on a frequency of 11965 kHz. At first, there is just background noise, but then, you will hear their transmitter come onto the air and power up for a few seconds. Their interval signal is played a number of times followed by sign on in English at 1100 hours UTC.

Audio Player

00:00

Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.

Dan Greenall, Ontario, Canada

Radios in the Netflix post-apocalyptic Argentinian miniseries “The Eternaut”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Balazs, who writes:

Hi Thomas,

I have just finished the series, “The Eternaut” (published at the end of April), and the story features old one-way or two-way radios in several places; see the attached pictures.

(Fun fact: one of the main characters used the call sign LU5DA and is shown a map for an antenna setup, the call sign in reality belongs to Radio Club Río de la Plata and (according to Google) their address matched the map.)

Trailer of the series in English:

with best regards,
Balazs

The Secret Listeners

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Our friend Bill Meara at SolderSmoke just shared a link to an excellent Hackaday article highlighting Britain’s “secret listeners”—the skilled amateur radio operators who intercepted enemy transmissions during WWII. These unsung heroes quietly monitored Axis communications, contributing to vital wartime intelligence.

This piece offers a compelling look into how amateur radio skills were used for national defense and how listening—often overlooked—played a key role in the war effort.

We actually featured the 1979 BBC documentary, “The Secret Listeners” eleven years ago (!!!) here on the SWLing Post. It’s a brilliant video: