Category Archives: Recordings

KBS World Radio – Then and Now

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

Back in the 1980’s, KBS World Radio was known as Radio Korea, and they could be heard quite well at times here in eastern North America. Even with modest receiving equipment, their familiar interval signal, that included regular ID’s in English and Korean, made it fairly easy to spot.

The recording here (circa 1983) was made in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, using a Panasonic RF-3100 portable receiver and a long wire antenna. As a bonus, this station offered a variety of colorful QSL cards to its listeners.

Today, KBS World Radio from Seoul in the Republic of Korea continues to offer programs via shortwave in several languages including English. Transmitter power up to 250 kw is used so they should be audible in most parts of the world. “Sign on” is strikingly similar using the same interval signal with bi-lingual ID’s and opening music.

They also use some of the same frequencies, including 9570 and 15575 kHz, that they have broadcast on for decades. This recording was made using a remote SDR in Hong Kong on August 14, 2025 on 15575 kHz around 1300 hours UTC.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of the Voice of Vietnam (September 7, 2025)

Leave a reply

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report of a recent Voice of Vietnam broadcast.

Carlos notes:

80th anniversary of Voice of Vietnam

Part of the special broadcast celebrating 80 years of Voice of Vietnam.

Click here to view on YouTube.

“The Rarest DX In The World” – A 33 RPM Journey Through 1960s Shortwave

8 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Bruce, who writes:

Hi Thomas,

I came across this item on eBay and then found a copy on YouTube:

Enjoy!

– Bruce F.

Wow–what a nostalgic treat! Thank you for sharing, Bruce!

The eBay seller listed all of the broadcasters on the recording:

Side “A”

1. RadioNepal, Kathmandu, Nepal [00:00]
2. Radio Thailand, Bangkok,Thailand [04:10]
3. Fiji Broadcasting Commission, Suva, Fiji[07:09]
4. Voice of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya [09:53]
5. Radiodiffusion du Togo, Lome, Togo [11:57]
6. Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service, Freetown, Sierra Leone [16:55]
7. Radiodiffusion-Television Belge, Brussels, Belgium [18:27]

Side “B”

1. RadioVietnam, Saigon, South Vietnam [00:00]
2. Radio Hong Kong, HongKong [3:45]
3. Radio Wewak (VL9CD), Wewak, Papua New Guinea[04:19]
4. Voice of Tarawa /Gilbert & Ellice IslandsBroadcasting Service (VTW2), Tarawa [07:35]
5. Radio CookIslands, Rarotonga, Cook Islands [12:36]
6. Radio Mauritania,Nouakchott, Mauritania [16:22]
7. Radio Andorra, Roc Des Anellettes, Andorra [18:01]

I’m wondering if any readers have a copy of this record and can share a photo of the jacket notes. I haven’t been able to find a clear image of the back cover online. I’m interested in finding out who produced the album—any information would be appreciated!

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of CNR 1 (September 3, 2025)

Leave a reply

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report of a recent CNR 1 broadcast.

Carlos notes:

Xi Jinping: Speech at the Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, CNR 1, 11925 kHz

Click here to view on YouTube.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of NHK World (August 31, 2025)

Leave a reply

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

Carlos notes:

“This was the ninth day this year that temperatures have reached 40 degrees Celsius or higher in Japan, breaking the record for the most days in a year.”

Click here to view on YouTube.

Dan Shares Recordings of the Golden Days of European Shortwave Listening

7 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who shares the following guest post:

Europe on shortwave in the 1970’s

by Dan Greenall

During the golden years of shortwave listening, many European countries had an international shortwave service and broadcast programs to North America (where I live) in English. As a result, these stations were usually among the first that a newcomer to the hobby would find. However, since there was no internet or e-mail, schedules often had to be found in the various club bulletins and hobby magazines. QSLs arrived through the postal system and could often take months to arrive.

I soon developed the habit of making a brief recording of each station as additional “proof of reception,” and many of these have survived to this day. These were typically made by placing the microphone directly in front of the speaker of my receiver. In recent years, they have been uploaded to the Internet Archive, and links to some of them from the early 1970s can be found here.

[Note that each title links to the Archive.org page where you can find more information and QSLs.]

Radio Moscow

Deutsche Welle, Cologne

Radio Berlin International

Belgian Radio

Radio Belgrade

RAI, Rome

ORTF, Paris

IBRA Radio via Radio Trans Europe in Portugal

Radio Sofia Bulgaria

Austrian Radio

Radio Prague

Radio Denmark

Radio Luxembourg

Vatican Radio

Radio Sweden

Trans World Radio Monte Carlo

Radio Kiev

Radio Free Europe

Radio Nordsee International

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Reports and Recordings of Voice of Vietnam (August 25-26, 2025)

Leave a reply

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