Category Archives: DX

Help record the 2025 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast later today (June 21, 2025)

Every year, the BBC broadcasts a special program to the scientists and support staff in the British Antarctic Survey Team. The BBC plays music requests and sends special messages to the small team located at various Antarctic research stations. Each year, the thirty minute show is guaranteed to be quirky, nostalgic, and certainly a DX-worthy catch!

After successful listener events from years past, I’m once again calling on all SWLing Post readers and shortwave radio listeners to make a short recording (say, 30-60 seconds) of the BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast today and share it here on the SWLing Post. Details on this below.

Time and frequencies

Our intrepid contributor, Richard Langley, reports the following message via the British DX Club:

Shortwave schedule 2130-2200 UTC on 5960 UAE, 9575 Ascension Island, 12065 Woofferton (UK), 13810 Woofferton (UK).

A slightly shorter version will be carried the same day from 1832-1900 UTC on BBC World Service English streams online as well as via DAB in the UK.

Recording the Midwinter Broadcast has become an SWLing Post community tradition! Read our previous post for more details.

I’m especially fond of this broadcast as it always falls on my birthday and it’s always fun capturing this unique DX!

Share your recording and notes with us!

Comment with your recording!

During the Midwinter broadcast, I will publish a dedicated post where you can comment and include links to audio and video of your 2024 Midwinter Broadcast recordings. When this post is available, I will link to it here. This will allow you to post your logs and recordings at your convenience without my availability becoming the bottleneck.

So that there’s no confusion, I’ve turned off comments on this post so that comments are left on the appropriate article.

Here’s the format I’d like you to leave in your comment of the dedicated post:

Name:

Listening location:

Notes: (Include frequencies and any details about your receiver and antenna.)

Link to audio or video: (YouTube, Vimeo, Internet Archive, SoundCloud, etc.)

Video and Audio Recordings

There is no way to directly upload audio in your comments, however, you can link to the recordings if you upload them to the Internet Archive (which I’d highly recommend) or any of the video streaming services–like YouTube and Vimeo–or audio services like SoundCloud.

If you have a photo you’d like to include in your comment, send me an email from the same address you used in your comment. I’ll manually post the image at the top of your comment when time allows.

As with each year, I’ll make sure the BAS team and the BBC receive a link with all of your recordings!

Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast 2025 – 70th Anniversary Edition: Tune in Saturday, June 21, 2025

Each year, we look forward to one of the most unique traditions in the world of shortwave radio: the BBC’s Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast—a special program beamed to a handful of overwintering scientists and support staff at British Antarctic research stations.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the broadcast, and it promises to be a particularly memorable one. Hosted by Cerys Matthews, the program features personal messages from friends and family back home, as well as music requests from those wintering in Antarctica.

Halley VI: The British Antarctic Survey’s new base (Source: British Antarctic Survey)

SWLing Post readers around the globe regularly tune in and make off-air recordings of this remarkable broadcast, sharing reception reports and recordings from every corner of the planet. It’s one of our favorite annual traditions!

SWling Post contributor Richard Langley, noted that a test broadcast last Saturday (20:30 UTC) used the following frequencies:

  • 5960 kHz – UAE
  • 9575 kHz – Ascension
  • 13810 kHz – Woofferton

UPDATE (19 June 2025) – Richard adds the following:

According to the British DX Club:
“Saturday 21 June 2025: at 1832-1900 and 2130-2200 UTC.

BBC World Service annual mid-winter broadcast to Antarctica for British Antarctic Survey staff working at UK bases on Antarctica’s midwinter’s day.

Shortwave schedule 2130-2200 UTC on 5960 UAE, 9575 Ascension Island, 12065 Woofferton (UK), 13810 Woofferton (UK).

A slightly shorter version will be carried the same day from 1832-1900 UTC on BBC World Service English streams online as well as via DAB in the UK.”

Frequencies will likely be posted on this page for the official broadcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct7zyv

As always, we’ll post an article here on Saturday as the broadcast begins, where you can share your own reception reports, audio clips, and impressions in the comments section—just as we’ve done in years past.

Stay tuned—once the official frequencies are confirmed, we’ll post them here as well.

Happy DXing, and let’s celebrate midwinter together—wherever you are in the world!

New SDR Recordings from Peru and Brazil Now Available via Don Moore

Our good friend and longtime contributor Don Moore has just updated his extensive SDR recordings archive with new files from his recent travels in South America. These latest recordings—captured in Peru (February) and southern Brazil (May)—are now available to explore and download.

Don writes:

I have a webpage where most of the SDR recordings from my travels are available for download. I just added files made in Peru in February and in the far south of Brazil in May. This archive is mostly medium wave. I hope they give other DXers a chance to hear what the dial sounds like in other parts of the world. They could also be useful as a way to compare possible IDs, ads, and other programming with what you hear in your own DXing.

You can browse and download the recordings directly via Don’s archive here:

https://www.donmooredxer.com/logs/loglinks.html

Many thanks, Don, for sharing these with the SWLing Post community!

Sporadic-E and FM DXing

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Alan, who shares this Radio World piece which explores the fascinating world of long-distance FM reception via sporadic-E (E-skip), including rare double-hop events: Double-Hop Dreams and the Mystery of Long-Distance FM

 A great read for anyone interested in the world of VHF propagation!

Alan also shared these resources:

Thanks, Alan!

Simple Wire Antenna: Giuseppe’s Mediumwave DXing Adventures from the Tyrrhenian Sea

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè (IZ0GZW), who writes:

Dear Thomas and Friends of SWLing Post,

I am Giuseppe Morlè from Formia, Central Italy, on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

This time, I want to share a very simple antenna setup for listening to and attempting extreme DX on Medium Waves.

I first saw this antenna in several videos, and many DXers have used it during various expeditions.

For my setup, I used a 15-meter-long wire. At around 11 meters, I formed a small coil with 8 turns, then continued the wire for another 3 meters.

I began with some tests on my balcony by laying the wire flat along the ground for its entire length. I used my small Sony SRF-37V as a receiver. By placing the receiver within the coil of turns, I immediately noticed a significant difference compared to the built-in ferrite antenna.

In the early afternoon, I tuned into a Chinese language broadcast on 1377 kHz. You can watch a video of this experiment on my YouTube channel:

Encouraged by the excellent results, I decided to head to the tourist port of Caposele di Formia the next day in the early afternoon. I set up on the pier overlooking the sea. This time, I laid the wire in an eastward direction — towards the night, where the sun had already set, while it was still high for another two hours on my side.

Once again, I achieved amazing results.

I was able to hear the same Chinese station on 1377 kHz, but this time with much clearer audio than from my balcony, where electrical noise interfered. By the sea, the signal was clean and strong.

After a while, I tuned into VOA broadcasts from Thailand on 1575 and 1395 kHz, both with surprisingly good audio quality. You can see this second experiment here:

Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of wire and a small coil to create an excellent, ground-level antenna — in this case, oriented eastward.

I also tried using my loop cassette and a Tecsun PL-660 but couldn’t hear anything. Yet the little Sony SRF-37V proved itself to be a true “DX killer” on AM — truly impressive.

I even caught a segment of the VOA program “World Today,” discussing the Chinese economy and Southeast Asia.

As the sun set, the DX signals faded, making way for closer European and Asian broadcasters.

I will definitely return with a longer wire to see if this surprising setup can be improved even more.

A warm greeting to all the Friends who follow SWLing Post and to you, Dear Thomas.

73, Giuseppe IZ0GZW

More Reception Videos:

Unlocking Rare DX Treasures with SDR-Console’s Powerful Data File Analyzer Tool

Finding Rare DX with the Data File Analyzer

By Don Moore

Don’s DX traveling stories can be found in his book Tales of a Vagabond DXer

I’ve been a real jack-of-all-trades in my over five decades of DXing. I began with SWBC (shortwave broadcast) but soon branched out to medium wave and voice utility. Later I added longwave beacons and more recently I’ve gotten into digital utility stations. My goal has always been to log lots of different stations from lots of different places. And the rarer they are, the better.

For SWBC and medium wave stations, as well as scheduled utility broadcasts such as marine and aeronautical weather reports, the DXing process is simple. You tune to a frequency at a time when a station is scheduled to be on the air. It’s either there or it’s not there. If it’s not there then maybe propagation isn’t right or maybe your antenna/receiver setup isn’t the best for that frequency band or the station’s power level. You tune away to find something else with plans to try again another day.

But it’s not always that easy. Most utility stations do not have fixed schedules and only come on as needed. The best example of that is two-way marine, aeronautical, and military voice communications.

In eastern North America, tune to 8906 kHz anytime from late afternoon until morning and set your receiver to USB mode. You’ll probably hear empty static at first but it’s unlikely that more than ten or fifteen minutes will pass before you’ve heard some aeronautical traffic. The frequency is assigned for communication on the North Atlantic and is heavily used by aircraft communicating with New York Radio, Gander Radio (Newfoundland, Canada), and Shanwick Radio (Shannon, Ireland). If you keep listening, the frequency will probably be occupied around 25% of the time. Wherever you are in the world, there are a few heavily used air frequencies like 8906 kHz and listening to them can be fascinating. But I want to log more than just a few easily heard stations.

Sticking to aeronautical DX, there are many assigned frequencies for different regions and air routes around the world. But propagation to those distant areas is unpredictable and less-used routes have fewer flights. Fewer flights mean less radio communication and more empty static. The most interesting frequencies may only see traffic a few times a week.

Hearing the rarest voice utility DX requires listening to lots of empty static just to get a brief DX catch. For years my process was simple. I would set my receiver to an interesting frequency and leave the tape recorder running while I sat nearby listening and doing something productive. I got some very good DX over the years that way. But I don’t want to think about how many long hours of empty static I listened to in order to get that DX.

 

SDRs offered some improvement. Instead of audibly monitoring a specific frequency I could now make a spectrum recording that included a band of interest, say the 8815 to 9040 aeronautical band. During playback I could visually monitor the SDR waterfall for interesting signals. That works. But watching an SDR waterfall scroll by for three or four hours gets tedious quickly.

(When I refer to SDRs, I mean ones consisting of a small box that is connected to and controlled from a computer using a software program. None of this applies to models such as the Malachite line or the Icom IC-R8600, which use SDR technology inside but mostly function as a traditional receiver.)

Finding a Better Way

That better way is, I think, one of the most exciting DX tools out there – the Data File Analyzer in the SDR-Console program. Since I learned about it a few years ago, the Analyzer has gotten me all kinds of catches that I probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Let’s start with an overview and then dig into the how-to.

SDR-Console is one of the better-known SDR programs and it works well with most of the common SDR radios on the market, including the Airspy, Elad, Perseus, and SDR-Play models. Here’s what the main window looks like:

The Data File Analyzer is a second window that produces a scrollable waterfall display for the entire length of an SDR spectrum recording. The display is similar to a standard waterfall with frequencies along the bottom and times along the side. However, there is also a scroll bar on the right side for browsing through the entire length of the recording. Instead of watching a four-hour spectrum recording slowly roll by in real time, I can scroll through the window looking for DX.

And this is what makes the Data Analyzer really useful. When I spot an interesting signal, I click on it and that causes the main window to start playing at that time and frequency. Now going through a four-hour spectrum recording takes from a few minutes to around half an hour, depending on how much DX I find.

Here’s a closeup of part of that same screen of spectrum recording made on 24 October 2024 at a DXpedition in western Pennsylvania, USA.

“A” marks a short exchange between an aircraft and Ndjamena Radio in Chad on 8894 kHz. “B” is Niamey Radio in Niger on 8903 kHz. “C” is Gander Radio on 8891 kHz. Just to the left of that is a string of digital signals. “D” is New York Radio on 8918 kHz. Again, there is a string of digital signals just to the left. Finally, “E” is communication from Dakar Radio in Senegal and Sal Radio in the Cape Verde Islands on 8861 kHz. I caught four African aero stations in just four-and-a-half minutes. I could also show you long stretches of time when there was nothing interesting coming in. With the Data File Analyzer I was able to visually find and focus on the DX and not waste my time with the empty static.

Here’s another image taken at the same DXpedition. Notice the three transmissions between 8820 to 8845 that seem to be mirroring one other.

That turned out to be Flightwatch Brisbane, the Australian regional aeronautical network. It uses multiple transmitter sites on 8822, 8831, and 8843 kHz to cover the entire country. I had never logged it before and I doubt I would have found it if DXing in the traditional manner.

The How-To

Here I’m going to assume that you already have SDR-Console installed and know the basics of how to use it, including making spectrum recordings. (If not, see the links at the end.) This article was written using version 3.4 of SDR-Console. Some of the functionalities described are not in earlier versions, so upgrade if you are not up to date. And I should point out that while you can do this on a single monitor, it works more smoothly if you have a dual monitor setup and can put each window on a different screen. Continue reading

Clear Channel Stations: Dan’s gateway into the world of DXing

Many thanks to Dan Greenall, one of our dedicated Shortwave Radio Audio Archive contributors, who shares the following guest post:


Clear channel BCB stations – My Introduction to the world of DXing

by Dan Greenall

Sometime in the mid 1960’s, I acquired a Japanese made AM only transistor radio similar to the one pictured.

I was entering my teenage years and living in southern Ontario, Canada in relative proximity to the U.S. border, and was immediately fascinated that I could receive American stations from places such as Buffalo and Rochester NY as well as Detroit MI with amazing clarity.

Before long, I discovered that signals from much further afield would begin to come through at dusk and throughout the night time hours. Although I was unaware at the time, many of these would be from so-called “clear channel” stations, those operating on frequencies with the highest level of protection from interference from other stations.

In addition, many of these stations ran a full 50 kw of power.  Signals from the Atlantic seaboard to the Midwest could often be heard at near local strength if I turned my radio to just the right angle.  At this point, I was beginning to learn about the directional properties of the built-in ferrite rod antenna.  It gave me great pleasure to be able to listen to their local ads, newscasts, or a far away sporting event from the comfort of my home.

I recall listening regularly to WOWO in Fort Wayne IN on 1190 for their play by play announcements of the Fort Wayne Komets hockey games.  Then there was a station identifying as WFAA in Dallas.  That was back when they shared 820 kHz with WBAP whose famous cowbell you can hear in one of the audio clips below.

By the end of 1969, a friend of mine had encouraged me to try shortwave, and I “borrowed” my parents Philips kitchen radio for a few months, but that is another story. I wonder how many others got “hooked” in this manner?

A few brief recordings of clear channel stations that I made in the early 1970’s are presented here. Many, but not all, of the stations heard in the last two links are from clear channel stations. Reception for these recordings was made using a Realistic DX150A or a Hallicrafters S-52 receiver hooked up to an outdoor long wire antenna.

KFI Circa 1971:

Audio Player

WOAI Circa 1973

Audio Player

KSTP Circa 1970s:

Audio Player

Vintage AM Radio Airchecks 1973:

Audio Player

Vintage AM Radio Airchecks 1973 Part 2:

Audio Player

As a sidebar, the National Radio Club has put out a number of books showing the daytime/nighttime directional antenna patterns of AM broadcasting stations in the USA and Canada.

I gave up my copy from 1973 a number of years ago, but you can find this one and others online. I found this very useful.

For example, it is easy to see why I was more likely to hear WBT Charlotte NC on 1110 kHz from my listening post in southern Ontario, Canada, rather than KFAB Omaha, NE.

The links below will take you to the 1973, 1975 and 2018 versions of these books.

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Logbooks/NRC_Logs/NRC-Pattern-Book-First-1973.pdf

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Logbooks/NRC_Logs/NRC-Night-Pattern-Mapbook-2nd-1975.pdf

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Logbooks/NRC_Logs/NRC-Pattern-Book-8th-2018.pdf