Category Archives: Radio History

Radio KWID and the War in the Pacific

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Jerome van der Linden, who writes:

For my bedtime reading I have recently been going through a book (“Radar Yarns”) which contains lots of stories, many of them humorous, about Australians that were involved in setting up radar stations during WWII around the coast of Australia as well as New Guinea.

There has been a mention of the guys in one location listening to the BBC, and of them sometimes having a shortwave radio where they once listened to Tokyo Rose. But I came across a sentence which made me wonder, and I thought someone in the SWLing post community might be able to throw some light on it: “According to an announcement on Radio KWID, San Francisco, it was a great victory for the American forces. It was broadcast as part of the 4th July celebrations in 1943 that Woodlark and the Trobriand Islands (which includes Kiriwina) had been captured with ‘little or no resistance’”.

So, I had originally asked Thomas to raise a post on this as I had not heard of KWID in my 65 odd years of SW listening, but then….a couple of days later – while watching some TV with the wife – I was doing some googling on my phone, and came across an article published in 2008 by Radio World: https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/a-voice-across-the-pacific-kwid-amp-kwix. This has answered my own question!

I recommend all those who are part of the SWLing Post Community and who have an interest in the history of SW broadcasting should read the above article, you will get a lot more from that than if I were to quote parts of it. It was apparently written by Dr Adrian M Peterson who used to feature on Media Network occasionally (Radio Netherlands, Jonathan Marks). It would seem that KWID was one of the founding stations / transmitters of the Voice of America, and it was well heard in the Pacific, which explains why it was mentioned in the book I was reading. There was also one sentence in the article that caught my eye: “the physical size of both transmitters was the same at 68 feet long”. Can you imagine that?!

Then lastly, I’ve learned an amazing coincidence: Dr Adrian M Peterson was born in South Australia, in 1931: that’s my home state in Australia!

Jerome van der Linden

Fascinating, Jerome! Thank you for sharing this!

The Secret Listeners

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Our friend Bill Meara at SolderSmoke just shared a link to an excellent Hackaday article highlighting Britain’s “secret listeners”—the skilled amateur radio operators who intercepted enemy transmissions during WWII. These unsung heroes quietly monitored Axis communications, contributing to vital wartime intelligence.

This piece offers a compelling look into how amateur radio skills were used for national defense and how listening—often overlooked—played a key role in the war effort.

We actually featured the 1979 BBC documentary, “The Secret Listeners” eleven years ago (!!!) here on the SWLing Post. It’s a brilliant video:

How Radio Carried the News of D-Day: Broadcasts from June 6, 1944

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American GIs heading toward the shoreline of Omaha Beach around June 7, 1944. (Photo Courtesy of The National WWII Museum)

Today marks the anniversary of D-Day—Operation Overlord—the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

If you’ve never listened to how the news broke here in the U.S., the Internet Archive hosts a remarkable collection of recordings from that historic day. It’s fascinating to hear the unfolding coverage in real time—an extraordinary window into the role of radio during one of the most pivotal moments in history.

Complete Broadcast Day – D-Day (June 6, 1944)

Hallicrafters’ 1944 Film, “Voice of Victory”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Fred Waterer, who writes:

I’ve fallen down a YouTube rabbit hole.

This time a video that is part propaganda, part Hallicrafters ad, and part documentary.

Pretty interesting how they adapted the radios to wartime conditions:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Podcast: Homemaker Radio in Nebraska

Patrolling The Ether: A 1944 Film About Tracking Down Nazis With Radio!

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Fred Waterer, who tipped us off to Patrolling the Ether—a 1944 short film produced by the U.S. Office of War Information. This wartime documentary highlights how amateur radio operators and federal agents collaborated to monitor the airwaves and track down enemy spies. A fascinating glimpse into radio’s role in World War II era homeland security:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Don Moore’s Photo Album: Guatemala (Part Seven) – Radio Maya de Barillas

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Image: Radio Maya via Facebook

Don Moore’s Photo Album:
Guatemala (Part Seven) – Radio Maya de Barillas

by Don Moore

More of Don’s traveling DX stories can be found in his book Tales of a Vagabond DXer [SWLing Post affiliate link]. If you’ve already read his book and enjoyed it, do Don a favor and leave a review on Amazon.

Given the subject of this final part you might assume that I eventually did make it to Barillas and get to visit Radio Maya. I wish it were so, but no. When writing part six of this series I tried to find a few interesting links about Radio Maya to include. I came across a 38-minute video about the history of the station issued on its 50th anniversary in 2012. The video is a series of still photos (most very old) narrated in Kanjobal.

Actually I’m assuming that it’s Kanjobal as that is the Mayan language spoken in Barillas. I don’t speak Kanjobal, but the Mayan languages use Spanish for numbers, dates, and modern ideas such as technical terms. Between the Spanish words and the context provided by the photographs, I was able to somewhat understand the video. Instead of expecting you to watch the 38-minute video, I’ve copied the most interesting pictures below. (I don’t think you want to see pictures of all the people involved over the years.)

Beginnings

There had been an Evangelical mission in Barillas since the mid-1950s. The name of whoever decided to put a radio station in Barillas is lost to history. But, like Father John Rompa of the Catholic station La Voz de Nahualá, they realized that radio was the best way to reach the Mayan people scattered across remote mountain towns and villages. Also lost to history is why they picked a place as remote as Barillas. Not only was the town at the end of the road, but in the early 1960s the last stretch of road wasn’t even drivable. Hauling in equipment for the new broadcaster was a challenge.

Here a man carries part of the transmitter on his back:

The transmitter eventually arrived in Barillas on an oxcart:

In these next two pictures about two dozen men haul the generator over a rough stretch of road:

The original building in 1962:

The next step was putting up the antenna. Here villagers prepare to erect a wooden pole as a center support for the antenna wires:

One of two shorter poles to hold up the lower ends of the wire:

When the pole was in place a very brave (or foolhardy?) man climbed to the top to attach the wires:

The finished tower. The antenna wires, attached at the top, aren’t visible. The lower wires are for support:

From its beginnings until the late 1970s, Radio Maya de Barillas only broadcast on 2360 kHz with this 250-watt transmitter. Later a one-kilowatt transmitter was added for 3325 kHz.

Installing the generator:

The Radio Maya studio in the 1960s:

Getting Bigger

In 1969 a plot of land was purchased on the edge of town and over the next three years a new building was constructed with help from American missionaries. Continue reading →