Category Archives: International Broadcasting

Radio Waves: 35 Years of RNZ and Bulgarian National Radio’s New QSL cards

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 contributor David Iurescia for the following tips:

RNZ Pacific – 35 years of broadcasting to the region (RNZ)

January 24, 1990, the same day the Auckland Commonwealth Games opened, RNZ International (RNZI) began broadcasting to the Pacific region.

Its news bulletins and programmes were carried by a brand new 100kW transmitter. The service was rebranded as RNZ Pacific in 2017. However its mission remains unchanged, to provide news of the highest quality and be a trusted service to local broadcasters in the Pacific region.

Although RNZ had been broadcasting to the Pacific since 1948, in the late 1980s the New Zealand Government saw the benefit of upgrading the service. Thus RNZI was born, with a small dedicated team.

The first RNZI manager was Ian Johnstone. He believed that the service should have a strong cultural connection to the people of the Pacific. To that end, it was important that some of the staff reflected parts of the region where RNZ Pacific broadcasted. He hired the first Pacific woman sports reporter at RNZ, the late Elma Ma’ua. [Continue reading…]

The BNR’s QSL cards for 2025 present the beauty of Bulgaria (BNR)

Dear friends, we are happy to announce that the Bulgarian National Radio’s QSL cards for 2025 are now available. The two series – one with 6 postcards and the other with 12 postcards – are entitled “The Beauty of Bulgaria.”

The series of 6 cards confirms that you have listened to Radio Bulgaria’s programming in any of its languages.

To receive this series, you need to send reports, indicating the date and the language of the programme you have listened to, as well as content details. QSL cards are sent upon receipt of the necessary number of reports, irrespective of the language in which the programmes were heard on our website. [Continue reading…]

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120 Years of XSG: Special World Radio Day Event and QSL Card

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Michael (BD4AAQ), who shares the following announcement:

Notice from Shanghai Coast Radio Station (XSG) on Hosting the Global Amateur Radio Communication Event

Dear Amateur Radio Enthusiasts,

To celebrate World Radio Day and foster communication and interaction with amateur radio operators worldwide, Shanghai Coast Radio Station (XSG) is pleased to announce a global amateur radio communication event. The event will take place from 12 to 13 February 2025, using the station’s long-standing callsign, XSG.

Established in 1905, Shanghai Coast Radio Station celebrates its 120th anniversary this year. The station has used the callsign XSG ever since and, apart from the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), has maintained Morse code telegraph services, preserving its historic significance and operational excellence.

Event Schedule:

The scheduled period will be from 00:00 UTC on 12 February 2025 to 24:00 UTC on 13 February 2025.

XSG Transmission Frequencies and Modes:

4105 KHz CW/A1A
6780 KHz CW/A1A
8502 KHz CW/A1A
12871.5 KHz CW/A1A
17103.2 KHz CW/A1A

Prior to the official event, intermittent schedule announcements will also be broadcast on the above frequencies.

XSG Receive Frequencies and Modes:

3521.3 KHz – 3526.3 KHz CW/A1A
7021.3 KHz – 7026.3 KHz CW/A1A
10121.3 KHz – 10126.3 KHz CW/A1A
14021.3 KHz – 14026.3 KHz CW/A1A
21021.3 KHz – 21026.3 KHz CW/A1A

QSL Confirmation:

Due to differing regulations set by amateur radio licensing authorities across the globe, XSG will only confirm amateur radio QSOs and SWL reports via paper QSL cards delivered by mail. If you wish to receive an XSG QSL card, please send your card to: No. 1 Diantai Road, Zhangjiang Town, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 201206, PR China. Email: hadt@shhadt.com.

Important Reminder:

To be clear, contacts with XSG will be cross-band contacts where XSG will operate on its authorized frequencies outside of the amateur radio bands, and any amateur radio operator making contact will operate within their own allocated amateur frequencies as listed above. Operators should exercise caution when operating split cross-band, ensuring they do not accidentally transmit on top of another station within the amateur bands. It’s a good practice to regularly monitor your transmit frequency.

Please note that amateur radio operators are not permitted to transmit on XSG’s dedicated frequencies. Operators must adhere to the transmission requirements in their respective licenses. It is recommended that amateur radio enthusiasts consult their national licensing authorities regarding applicable regulations before engaging in communications with XSG.

We warmly invite amateur radio operators worldwide to participate in this event and look forward to celebrating this milestone together.

Shanghai Coast Radio Station (XSG)
19 January 2025

Information provided by BD4AAQ (Michael Ye) and BH4BFS (Xusheng Niu)

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ORF: Moosbrun rotating antenna to be demolished

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Drehbare Hochleistungsrichtantenne ORF Moosbrunn (Daniel Csiky – Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adi, who shares the following news about Austria’s historic 500-kilowatt shortwave transmitter in Moosbrunn:

ORF has Austria’s 500-kilowatt short-wave transmitter blown up

This massive, unique rotating HF antenna, capable of broadcasting to the furthest corners of the globe, is set to be demolished. The article explores its rich history, technical capabilities, and the broader implications of its loss for global communications.

Read the full story on heise online.

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Worldwide Broadcast Frequency Allocation Table

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Alan, who writes:

Thomas,

You have been reviewing radios on your site lately, which has prompted me to produce an up-to-date table of all frequencies allocated to radio and TV broadcasting.

Worldwide radios need to tune any frequency up to 240 MHz. DAB+ in the 1.452 – 1.492 GHz band has been a failure. TV is as indicated.

Some chip manufacturers are making FM reception for the CIS and Japanese markets, they need to tune down to 47 MHz to cover all of band 1 for DRM.

Please note that DRM and DAB+ can transmit coloured slide shows to the screen in DAB+ and DRM receivers provided they have a colour screen included.

Click here to download PDF.

Alan

Thank you for creating and sharing this reference sheet, Alan!

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ITU Publication: International Radio Frequencies for Disaster Relief

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Alan, who writes:

Thomas,
I came across this PDF from the ITU: Use of International Radio for Disaster Relief frequencies for emergency broadcasts in the High Frequency bands

With so many disasters, may be of interest to your posters.

Click here to download (PDF).

Thank you, Alan!

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Carlos Explores Japan’s Radio Nikkei: A Unique Shortwave Listening Experience from Brazil

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Carlos Latuff, who shares the following guest post:

Exploring Radio Radio Nikkei

by Carlos Latuff

It’s been a while since I listened to Nikkei Radio, a Japanese commercial broadcaster that operates on shortwave for a domestic audience. If I remember well, the signal was very weak and, since I don’t speak Japanese, I didn’t know what the content of its broadcasts was about. But today, with the possibility of recording the audio, transcribing it and translating it, it has become more interesting to follow its programs on shortwave here in Brazil, more specifically in Porto Alegre (distance between Nikkei’s transmitter in Chiba, Japan, and Porto Alegre, Brazil: 18779 km).

Nikkei Radio 1 was founded in 1954 and Nikkei 2 in 1963, and at the time it was called Nihon Shortwave Broadcasting Co., better known by the acronym “NSB”. Some Japanese electronics manufacturers have in the past released receivers dedicated to receiving the signal from these stations (see below).

Today, the Japanese company Audiocomm has radio models whose packaging states that this receiver is compatible with Nikkei Radio; note the image alluding to horse racing (see below).

I haven’t been able to acquire any of these devices (yet), since they were basically produced for the Japanese public. But any receiver with shortwave bands can tune into Radio Nikkei. I use my good old XHDATA D-808 with a long wire antenna. In Porto Alegre, the best propagation is between 08:45 AM and 06:15 AM (UTC). In the late afternoon, the signal also arrives, but with a fair amount of static.

Both Radio Nikkei 1 and Radio Nikkei 2 operate on the following frequencies:

Radio Nikkei 1:

3.925 MHz (in case of emergency)
6.055 MHz
9.595 MHz (in case of emergency)

Radio Nikkei 2:

3.945 MHz (in case of emergency)
6.115 MHz
9.76 MHz: (in case of emergency)

On the station’s website https://www.radionikkei.jp/ you can find details of its programming, as well as broadcast times, including a table (in Japanese) with this information, which can be translated with the help of Google Lens.

Radio Nikkei also broadcasts its programming via streaming, however the platform used (radiko) is inaccessible to me here in Brazil (see message below).

Nikkei Radio is majority-owned by the business newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun and the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which means the station focuses mainly on the financial market. However, much of its programming, especially on weekends, is dedicated to horse racing, a popular sport in Japan. In addition to news, talk shows and music, the radio station also broadcasts evangelical preaching (!). One of these religious programs is called “True Salvation” and is sponsored by The Japan Gospel Mission, a Christian Protestant organization.

This heterogeneous mix of business, horses and Jesus Christ makes Nikkei Radio an interesting station to tune into, to say the least.

The radio listening sessions published here were made in the central Porto Alegre, Brazil, between January 15th and 19th, 2025.

(Domo arigato gozai masu Mr. Tagawa Shigeru for helping me with translation).