Category Archives: Nostalgia

Mexico on Shortwave – Then and Now

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.

100 Years Ago: A Teenager in Iowa Reaches Greenland by Radio

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Collins QSL Card via the Collins Bookshop

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor David Iurescia, who shares this fascinating article from The Gazette:

Arthur A. Collins Legacy Association celebrates 100th anniversary of major radio breakthrough in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — Years before the first trans-Atlantic phone call, and decades before international direct dialing would become available, a Cedar Rapids teenager had a direct line to one of the most remote places on earth.

And decades before companies like Collins Radio and Rockwell Collins became multibillion dollar enterprises, a 15-year-old’s ham radio was connecting Arctic explorers with the world from an attic on Fairview Drive.

On Aug. 3, 1925, Arthur A. Collins made headlines as the first person to communicate with MacMillan scientific explorers in Etah, Greenland on short-length radio waves — what The Evening Gazette in Cedar Rapids hailed as “a new chapter into the history of radio.”[…]

Explore the full story on The Gazette.

HCJB Quito, Ecuador – Then and Now

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

In the 1970s, the powerful signal from radio station HCJB, the Voice of the Andes, in Quito, Ecuador, could be heard with station identifications (similar to this one circa 1971) being given between programs.

I am led to believe that they were made by the late Bob Beukema (1928-2001), since his resonant radio voice was often referred to as the “Voice of the Andes”. My listening post at the time was Ancaster, Ontario, Canada.

Today, the station can still be heard broadcasting from Ecuador, albeit with much lower power, perhaps 10 kW at the most, and a much simpler antenna arrangement.

The accompanying recording was made July 30, 2025 on 6050 kHz around 0200 hours UTC using a Kiwi SDR located in Lima, Peru. Even though programming is only in Spanish and indigenous languages, some of that wonderful Andean music can still be found here.

73
Dan Greenall, Ontario, Canada

Click here to download a bit of HCJB ephemera (PDF).

Dan Unearths Radio Memories: A 1990s Treasure Trove of Broadcast Ephemera

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

Hi Thomas

Before the days of the internet and e-mail, handwritten or typed reception reports mailed out to broadcast stations would often net the lucky DXer other goodies, including station brochures, program schedules, frequency guides, station stickers, blank reception report forms, pennants, booklets, and other items in addition to that coveted QSL verification.

The QSLs were stored carefully away in albums or shoe boxes, while much of the other paper ephemera eventually (over the years) made its way into a recycle bin. Recently, while cleaning out some storage boxes in the basement, I came across a number of envelopes containing some of the aforementioned items from the early to mid-1990s. To preserve these newly discovered pieces of radio history, I have scanned much of the material and included it here.

Here’s a sampling:

There are 39 JPEG and 7 PDF files to view: https://archive.org/details/radio-finland-program-guide-1992-3-page-2

Dan Greenall VE3HLC, Ontario, Canada

Thank you so much for archiving and sharing these, Dan! Pure radio nostalgia.

Tom Shares QSL Collection from Over 210 Countries

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Radio Australia from the collection of Tom Gavaras

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Tom Gavaras, who recently reached out with an update:

“I want to make you aware that I have posted almost all of my shortwave QSL cards online, representing more than 210 broadcast countries. They can be viewed at: https://radiotapes.com/qsl/”

What an incredible achievement! Tom’s QSL collection spans decades of shortwave radio history and includes verification cards from a vast range of international broadcasters.

Browse the collection here: https://radiotapes.com/qsl/

Thanks again, Tom!

Mark Dials Into Nostalgia with the Lego Retro Radio

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who writes:

Thomas,

You might remember that a year or so ago, Lego released a retro radio set aimed at the 18+ age group.

I had an opportunity to visit a Lego shop recently because a company away day meeting was set in Birmingham city centre.

Seeing this set on the shelves was too tempting, and since my birthday was imminent made an impulse purchase!!

I can tell you it was a joy to build, and it’s very clever in how it fits together and functions.

Turning the power knob on the left engages a mechanism which is then turned by the tuning dial on the right. The little red tuning marker moves back and forth and a custom brick plays random bursts of audio lasting a few seconds.

These are in keeping with the retro aesthetic of the radio itself, adverts for ham, sports commentary and nostalgic music.

A little bit pricey but I don’t regret buying it. I bought a Tecsun PL-990x the week before in anticipation of my birthday, so it’s been quite a radio centric celebration this year !

Mark

This is brilliant, Mark! The top image of the Lego Radio was one I took at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in February. I came so close to buying it then, and indeed, I would have if I weren’t such a hardcore one-bag traveler. Had I purchased it, I would have had to carry it for the rest of my multi-day trip. After reading your article, I regret passing it up! I might have to go on the prowl for one! Thank you for sharing!

Click here to check out the Lego Retro Radio on Amazon.com

(Note: this affiliate link supports the SWLing Post at no cost to you.)

Dan takes us on a South Pacific Tour!

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

In years gone by, many Pacific island nations relied on shortwave radio to air their programs across the vast expanses of ocean. These included countries such as Kiribati, Tahiti, Fiji, Saipan, New Caledonia, the Marshall Islands, Cook Islands, and Papua New Guinea. There are recent reports that the latter is seriously looking at a return to shortwave by 2030. https://swling.com/blog/2025/05/papua-new-guinea-plans-shortwave-comeback-by-2030/ Even in Hawaii, the licence of World Harvest Radio KWHR expired in 2009.

While the above nations can no longer be found on shortwave, a handful of other stations are still operating in 2025 and make excellent DX targets for listeners around the world. If you prefer optimal quality reception, choose to listen through a remote SDR closer to the transmitter site.

Click on the various links below to hear samples of audio from some of the remaining broadcasters located in the South Pacific region.