Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura for sharing an article from Radio World that highlights recent NOAA Weather Radio outages and the broader implications for emergency alerting systems. A timely reminder of the vital role EAS backups play in public safety infrastructure.
Read the full article here: NOAA Weather Radio Disruptions Highlight Need for EAS Backups
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report of a recent ZP-30 broadcast.
Carlos notes:
Fertility rates are plummeting worldwide, Radio ZP-30, Paraguay, 610 kHz
Part of Paraguay’s Radio ZP-30 news bulletin (in German) about fertility rates plummeting worldwide. Listened in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on a Xhdata D-808 receiver.
I recently received an inquiry via the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive from someone hoping to find historic recordings of Voice of Zimbabwe, the station operated by the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) during the late 1970s. The clandestine broadcasts originated from Mozambique and were part of the liberation struggle in what was then Rhodesia.
Here’s the message I received:
“Hello. I was wondering if you had any way to help me find recordings from the ZANLA broadcasts from Mozambique; Voice of Zimbabwe. I think the main broadcasting period was during the late 70s. Quite sure a lot of the recordings from that time have been erased/poorly preserved. Would greatly appreciate the help. Looking forward to hearing from you.”
Indeed, recordings from this period and station are quite rare and may not have been widely archived. But given the dedicated community of shortwave listeners and DXers here at the SWLing Post, I’m hopeful someone out there may have an off-air recording or some sort of lead—even a logbook entry with notes.
If you happen to have any recordings, reception reports, or even recollections related to the Voice of Zimbabwe/ZANLA, please comment on this post.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report of a recent CNN Radio broadcast.
Carlos notes:
Trump deploys Marines to Los Angeles, CNN Radio, Argentina, 950 kHz AM
Part of CNN Radio (Argentina) news bulletin (in Spanish) about Donald Trump deploying Marines to Los Angeles amid immigration protests. Listened in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on a Xhdata D-808 receiver.
“Trump is sending 760 marines to California. ‘An insane fantasy’, said the governor. In a dramatic escalation of the conflict in Los Angeles over protests against immigration raids, the US president was preparing an order to deploy the soldiers. They will join the 2,000 troops called up from the National Guard. The protests have been going on for four days. An Australian journalist was wounded in the leg by a rubber bullet fired by troops.”
Greetings to all SWLing Post community, we are off in orbit again on those shortwaves of ours, bringing you a couple of interesting shows to hopefully pique your imagination.
The first Imaginary Stations offering is on Saturday 14th June 2025 at 1100 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and then again on Sunday 15th June 2025 at 0900/1300 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and at 2000 UTC on 3975 kHz and 6160 kHz (via the services of Shortwave Gold) and it’s the second episode of Starship Skybird.
Like our first episode do expect more sounds from space, tunes from across the cosmos and if all goes well, we’ll have a reknowned astronomer on hand to give us a live commentary on what they can see in the night sky from the station’s roof (subject to weather and atmospheric conditions of course). Tune in that shortwave radio and join us reaching for the stars and beyond!
On Wednesday 18th June 2025 via WRMI at 0200 UTC we bring you some audio excitement with the Kearsarge Mountain Transmission Service, KMTS. Expect some strange and wonderful music and sounds from the radio spectrum.
More on Starship Skybird here:
For more information on all our shows, please write to imaginarystations@gmail.com and check out our old shows at our Mixcloud page here.
FastRadioBurst 23
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares this article from the Ponte Vedra Recorder highlighting how Hurricane Helene has exposed the critical need to protect AM radio as a vital emergency communication tool: https://www.pontevedrarecorder.com/stories/helene-milton-exposed-need-to-protect-am-radio,129870
Photo by lamnatheshark via Unsplash
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Jamet, who shares this information for anyone visiting the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year:
As the world-renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place, we warmly welcome all amateur radio operators (HAMs) visiting the Sarthe region. Whether you’re here to experience the race live or just passing through, several radio communication options are available to help you stay connected and exchange with fellow operators.
Available Repeaters Around Le Mans
Meshtastic Network Active in the Area
In addition to traditional repeaters, the Le Mans region features several active Meshtastic nodes — a mesh radio system using ISM bands (433 MHz and 868 MHz) in long_fast mode.
Meshtastic uses LoRa modules to send text messages fully off-grid, with no reliance on cellular or Wi-Fi networks. It’s particularly useful in crowded areas like paddocks or rural zones, for close-range communication, field tests, or tactical use.
Operators who are curious or equipped are encouraged to activate their modules and join the local network. Some nodes are fixed, while others are mobile — carried on vehicles or backpacks.
We warmly encourage you to make the most of your visit by connecting with local HAMs, sharing your passion, discovering the region’s radio infrastructure, and maybe trying out new technologies like Meshtastic.
Enjoy the race, happy DXing, and we look forward to hearing you on the airwaves!