Author Archives: Thomas

September 2025 Schedule Updates: From the Isle of Music & Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot

On the Media explores the power of shortwave radio and press freedom

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Amy Barry for sharing this tip.

WNYC’s On the Media recently aired an episode titled The Power of Shortwave Radio—and What Gets Lost with Voice of America? Reporter Katie Thornton explores shortwave’s historic role in connecting the world, its continuing importance where the internet cannot reach, and the implications of VOA’s decline.

In the second half of the program, host Micah Loewinger sits down with Alsu Kurmasheva of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to discuss the network’s role in countries lacking a free press and her own nine-month detention in Russia. Bay Fang, president of Radio Free Asia, also weighs in on why the shutdown of RFA will further diminish press freedom in Asia.

Click here to listen on WNYC’s site.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of UN Radio and Listening to the World Radio Network

Listening to the World Radio Network

Mexico on Shortwave – Then and Now

2 Replies

by Dan Greenall

Back in the early 1970’s, a wide variety of Mexican stations could be heard on shortwave as evidenced by the loggings columns in the SPEEDX club’s monthly bulletins. Examples from this time period can be found here:

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Speedx.htm

As well, the late Dr. Richard E. Wood wrote about what was available to be heard from Mexico in the 1971 Communications Handbook on page 18. You can read this here:

A brief recording of La RH, Radio Tricolor (in Spanish) on 11880 kHz from Mexico City can be found here:

The official international broadcaster, Radio Mexico, was known to issue colorful station pennants like the one pictured. Click here to listen to their ID’s in Spanish (though they did use some English) by a female and male announcer, likely on 21705 kHz (one of the many frequencies they used).

Currently, the only station broadcasting from Mexico on shortwave is Radio Educacion, XEPPM, from Mexico City on 6185 kHz. This recording was made on July 10, 2025 using a remote SDR close to the transmitter to ensure the best overall quality. The QSL attached is one received by my (then) 12 year old son in 1994.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of All India Radio (August 20, 2025)

Giuseppe’s Ingenious Recycled Antenna Board for SW & MW Listening

6 Replies

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.

I’d like to show you my antenna board for shortwave and mediumwave listening with portable receivers like the Tecsun PL-660.

The board has two distinct circuits:

- - A small-diameter loop with two turns for shortwave reception (3.5–18 MHz).
  - Three ferrite rods with 30 turns each, plus a four-turn link coil that carries the signal to the receiver for mediumwave reception.

In the video, you’ll see how the board works on its own, and then how performance improves when I connect a 15-meter wire and throw it over the balcony of my house. In that case, the signal becomes much stronger.

Tuning is done with a 900 pF variable capacitor. To listen to mediumwave, I simply disconnect one side of the shortwave loop. With just that single variable capacitor, I can tune all of the bands.

It’s a surprisingly effective antenna for small portable receivers, and it’s built entirely from recycled materials—at no cost.

I hope you enjoy it. Greetings to all the friends of the SWLing Post.

73, Giuseppe Morlè, IZ0GZW

Click here to view on YouTube.

Many thanks, Giuseppe, for once again sharing your creativity with us. I’m always impressed by the antennas you design and by the performance you achieve—especially considering they’re largely homebrewed from recycled parts. That’s radio at its very best!

[Note that his video is in Italian, but you can turn on subtitles for your preferred language.]

Hammond Museum of Radio Welcomes Visitors Again

5 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Markku Koskinen, who shares the following tip from Guelph Today:

Hammond Museum of Radio reopens after two years

After a two-year-long closure the Hammond Museum of Radio has reopened.

The museum at 595 Southgate Dr. attached to Hammond Power Solutions was closed because of a major renovation to the building which included an addition. In order to protect more than a thousand artifacts from construction, dirt, dust and vibrations the museum closed. Everything was covered with tarps and cloth.

Some of the more valuable radios were relocated to storage. Employees would regularly check there were no leaks coming from the ceiling and no cracks in the walls. The museum reopened last month by appointment only. [Continue reading…]