Category Archives: AM

Radio Waves: Georgia LPFM Wants More Power, Radio Bulgaria QSL #8, Preserving Radio Mogadishu, Shortwave HQ Updates, and Joining the CIDX

Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura, David Iurescia, and Michael Smith for the following tips:

Georgia LPFM Asks FCC to Raise Power Due to Atmospheric Conditions (Radio World)

Valdosta operator says “suspicious phenomenon” is preventing LPFM from reaching potential

[…]WFAG(LP) operates on 89.7 FM with 100 watts of ERP in Valdosta. “Supra 89.7” is licensed to the nonprofit Valdosta Alliance.

In a letter addressed to Chairman Brendan Carr, the alliance’s general manager, Paula Greer, said that the “serious, suspicious phenomenon of apparent ‘ducting’” or “illegal broadcasting” has been preventing the community project from maximizing its potential. [Continue reading…]

QSL Card No. 8: First Bulgarian radio manufacturing factory (Radio Bulgaria)

Throughout 2026, Radio Bulgaria is confirming listeners’ reception reports with a new series of 12 QSL cards. Each card highlights a significant moment from the history of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) and Radio Bulgaria, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. At the beginning of each month, we present the story behind the image featured on the latest card.

The eighth QSL card for 2026 is dedicated to Svetozar Prenerov’s first Bulgarian radio manufacturing factory.

In 1925, Svetozar Prenerov, an engineer who had just completed his education in France, received an invitation to take part in the Philips project to manufacture radio sets in the Netherlands. However, the young engineer turned down this tempting offer, deciding instead to manufacture radio sets in his homeland. Thus, in 1925, the ‘Elektron’ craft workshop began operations under the leadership of Svetozar and his brother Veselin, producing ‘Universal’ linear radio sets. [Read more at Radio Bulgaria…]

Safeguarding memory before it disappears – Preserving the Radio Mogadishu archive (UNESCO)

Click here to watch on YouTube.

ShortwaveHQ Database Updates

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Michael (KM7FMJ), who notes that his ShortwaveHQ directory has recently received a number of updates. Most notably, the site’s search now draws from the full EIBI A-26 schedule, with more than 4,800 entries covering 309 stations. Check it out here!

Join the CIDX

If you aren’t already a member of the Canadian International DX Club (CIDX), one of the many excellent international shortwave radio clubs, here’s a good example of what you’re missing. The August 2026 issue of the CIDX Messenger runs an impressive 73 pages and includes a feature asking, “Do People Still Listen to the Radio?“, a look at why young Africans continue to listen to radio, Canadian Radio News, and much more. The CIDX also hosts monthly Zoom meetings, with the next scheduled for August 16. All of this is available to members for a very modest membership cost. If you’re not a member, consider joining and supporting one of the organizations that continues to keep the international DX community connected. Click here to check out the CIDX!

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Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of ZP-30 & NHK (August 3, 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.

Carlos notes:

Earthquake/dangerous hot weather in Japan, heavy rain in China – NHK (Japan) ZP-30 (Paraguay)+radiofax

Click here to view on YouTube.

Typhoon Dolphin, radiofax from Japan Meteorological Agency, Aug 3, 19h10 UTC

BBC Radio 5 Live Closing More AM Transmitters

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Majid Hussain, who points us to this RadioToday report on the BBC’s continuing reduction of its mediumwave footprint.

The BBC has begun the phased closure of some BBC Radio 5 Live AM transmitters, with the first two transmitters scheduled to close at the end of July. The move is part of the BBC’s broader transition toward FM, DAB, television, and online listening, and marks another significant step in the gradual decline of AM broadcasting in the UK.

Click here to read the full article.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of BBC and CRI (July 29, 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.

Carlos notes:

Wildfires, via Radio Nacional Argentina, BBC and China Radio International

Click here to view on YouTube.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of Multiple Stations (July 21-28, 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.

Carlos notes:

There’s no better place than AM and FM stations to get local news. I am a die-hard shortwave fan, but it’s on medium wave and frequency modulation that I stay informed about what is happening in my region. So, I decided to follow some news reports from radio stations based in Rio Grande do Sul as the state faces the onset of the El Niño phenomenon in 2026—an event experts had predicted.

The stations I listened to were:

Rádio Bandeirantes, Porto Alegre (94.9 FM)
Rádio Gaúcha, Porto Alegre (93.7 FM)
Rádio Independente, Lajeado (91.7 FM)
Tua Rádio, Caxias do Sul (560 AM)
Rádio Pampa, Porto Alegre (97.5 FM)

These events unfolded just as the population of Rio Grande do Sul was still trying to recover from the trauma of the massive 2024 flood, which devastated numerous municipalities and inundated parts of the state capital, Porto Alegre, where I live.

Downtown Porto Alegre, May 2024.

Naturally, this topic took up significant airtime on these stations. In the case of Rádio Independente in Lajeado—a municipality in a region hit by the recent high waters and severely battered by the 2024 flood—coverage was minute-by-minute. This highlights the fundamental role of radio—something I always like to emphasize—as it relays alerts, provides updates on river levels and flooded areas, and interviews authorities. I had visited Lajeado on June 12, 2024, to document the aftermath of the climate catastrophe that ravaged parts of the city, and I returned two years later, on July 23, 2026, to assess the damage from this latest flood. It’s a personal matter for me, as I was an eyewitness to this tragedy.

Lajeado, June 2024

Lajeado, July 2026

Today, July 28, 2026, the broadcaster Tua Rádio reported on the damage caused by a storm that struck the municipality of Caxias do Sul, detailing the various public services disrupted by the loss of electricity, telephone lines, and the Internet. The presenter even took the time to explain the Beaufort scale, which was used to classify the storm winds that hit the area.

She also advised listeners: “Keep an ear on the radio.”

Once again, we arrive at a conclusion that all of us radio enthusiasts know by heart: everything fails… except the battery-powered radio! Power goes out, phone lines go down, and the Internet cuts out, but people can always rely on their battery-powered radios—something people in Spain, Portugal, and Chile also know well, having faced widespread blackouts in 2025.

The radio monitoring was conducted in Porto Alegre using two receivers: the Xhdata D808 and the Ecopower EP-F23B (the latter equipped with a flashlight and a solar panel).

That’s why I must insist: climate change is already knocking at our door. We need to prepare for the times ahead. And even though we are living through all the modern marvels of the 21st century—with AI and everything else—at the end of the day, what will save us is a battery-powered radio and a pack of candles.

Here’s the illustrated radio listening report.

Click here to view on YouTube.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of Radio 10 (July 18, 2026)

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There’s something curious about listening to this tiny Sony SRF-SR84 receiver: when I hold it close to this metal fence, the medium wave reception improves significantly.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report.

Carlos notes:

Trump threatens Canada with tariffs over wildfire smoke, Radio 10, Argentina, 710 kHz AM

Click here to view on YouTube.

Sharp SG-220 all-in-one stereo system

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

Since the Brazilian government adopted legislation allowing AM stations to migrate to FM, the medium-wave spectrum has become more favorable for the propagation of radio signals from other countries—specifically, in the case of southern Brazil, from Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. As night falls, the radio dial in Porto Alegre fills with Spanish-speaking broadcasts. And any receiver can pick up these transmissions—and I mean *any* receiver, including this Sharp SG-220 all-in-one stereo system from the late 1970s.

As long as the neighbors don’t turn on any electrical appliances (which cause terrible interference), it’s possible to tune in perfectly to stations from those countries. In this video, I take a quick tour of the stereo system’s dial so you can get an idea of ??what I’m talking about, including an Illustrated Radio Listening Report.