Rediscovering the Golden Age of Utility DXing

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

Hi Thomas

Back in the 1970’s, I used to enjoy hunting for “utility” radio stations outside the regular SWBC bands. When I came across a copy of the Utility DXer’s Handbook from 1971 recently on eBay, I couldn’t resist purchasing it. I have since made a page on archive.org for it to help preserve this unique piece of radio history. Anyone interested can follow this link and take a look at the world of utility radio as it was over 50 years ago.

Also, I have included links to some of the recordings and QSL’s from these stations that I have set up on the Internet Archive.

Wow, Dan! What a utility DXing treasure trove you’ve created on Archive.org. Thank you for sharing these resources and recordings with us!

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of La Union (December 27, 2024)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist Carlos Latuff, who shares an illustrated radio listening report of a recent La Union (Paraguay) broadcast.


Carlos notes:

Part of Radio La Union talk show (in Spanish). News about three men attacked by bees in Encarnacion, Paraguay, leaving one dead. Listened in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Click here to view on YouTube.

Texas Radio Shortwave’s January-March 2025 program schedule

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Terry Colgan of Texas Radio Shortwave, who writes:

Hi – Here’s our program schedule for the first three months of 2025. We’re continuing to air monthly programs over Channel 292, Rohrbach, Germany, featuring Texas musicians (except in January).

We kick off the New Year with an hour of programming from Swedish pirate station Radio Igloo. It’s been a long time since they’ve been widely heard in North America, and we hope they receive a good response to the program. TRSW and Radio Igloo will issue separate QSLs for correct, detailed reception reports.

We’ve changed the time of our MixCloud streams to make them more accessible to worldwide fans of music by Texas artists and old-time radio shows. Previously, the stream time favored North American enthusiasts. We offer different QSL designs for reports on the MixCloud streams.

Musikalischer Frühschoppen: A special DRM broadcast on December 27, 2024

DRM Receiver Sample Screenshot

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Alan, who shares the following announcement from the DRM Consortium:

DRM SW transmissions from Germany after Christmas

On 27 December, SE-TA 2, a private German shortwave radio station, will be on air with a 4-hour moderated music programme “Musikalischer Frühschoppen” from the Waldheim, Germany, transmitter.

The frequency will be 6195 kHz.

The two-hour programme will be played twice in succession within the 4-hour transmission windows. The DRM transmission will be in two different configurations:

09-11 UTC 16 QAM in MSC Mode B
11-13 UTC 16 QAM in MSC Mode C

Both featuring xHE-AAC audio, Journaline, DRM TextMessages with DL+ information, stations logos and Slideshow images.

KMTS Calling, KMTS Calling

Hi to all SWLing Post community! FastRadioBurst 23 here letting you know what the Imaginary Stations crew have up their sleeves for this festive weekend. We’d like to send holiday greetings to our listeners old and new. Thank you for your support, we couldn’t do it without you.

On Saturday December 28th 2024 at 1200 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and repeated on Sunday December 29th 2024 at 1000/1400 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and also at 2100 UTC on 3975 kHz via Shortwave Gold is the end of year transmission of KMTS (Kearsarge Mountain Transmission Service). Expect the weird and wonderful and also radio related tunes.

Then on Wednesday January 1st 2025 at 0300 UTC via WRMI we have another version of KMTS which by the way was the very first Imaginary Station from the crew. Tune in for some strange audio excitement and start the new year on the right frequency.

For more information on all our shows, please send  to imaginarystations@gmail.com and check out our old shows at our Mixcloud page here.