Music is the universal shortwave language

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Greetings as always to all the SWLing Post community, we are now ready to spill the beans on what we have to offer on the shortwave spectrum this week. Be ready for some space business and more about things that run on rails.

Firstly on Saturday 7th June 2025 at 1100 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and then again on Sunday 8th 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) we bring you the sounds of outer space with Starship Skybird.

Orbiting the ionosphere the skyship will bring you lots of intergalactic musical goodness, the sounds of distant planets, atmospherics and a whole lot more. Start the countdown to next weekend when you can strap yourself in for a trip of a lifetime. Tune in, make yourself a cosmic cocktail if that’s your thing and enjoy the sounds of space.

On Wednesday 11th May 2025 via WRMI at 0200 UTC we depart again on a “locomotive journey across the ionosphere” with another episode of CTRN. We are back on the rails to present an hour of train tunes, class rail timetabling tales and memories of train stations that once were. Please tune in, mind the doors and enjoy the ride. Please make sure you present your Railcard alongside your rail ticket if you are expecting a shortwave discount.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of Radio La Voz de Melo (June 2, 2025)

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

Carlos notes:

El volcán Etna entró en erupción, Radio Voz de Melo, Uruguay, 1340 kHz AM

Excerpt from the news bulletin (in Spanish) of Radio La Voz de Melo (Uruguay) about the eruption of Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy. Listened in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on the Xhdata D-808 receiver.

“Mount Etna erupted, triggering an alert in Sicily, Italy. Europe’s highest active volcano ejected a large cloud of ash and gas after part of its crater collapsed. The cloud rose over the volcano located on the island of Sicily at around 11:30 a.m. local time on a holiday in that country, when thousands of people took advantage of the opportunity to engage in outdoor activities.In some of the videos that went viral on social media, you can see the moment when a group of climbers was affected by the eruption and had to continue running. Several people were quickly evacuated after the volcanic activity began. At the same time, the explosive activity in the southeast crater transformed into a lava fountain…”

Click here to view on YouTube.

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of ZP-30 (May 30, 2025)

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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:

The US wants to increase the arrest of immigrants, Radio ZP30, Paraguay, 610 kHz AM:

Excerpt from a news report (in German) by Paraguayan radio station ZP30 about the Trump administration’s plans for mass deportation of immigrants. Listened in Porto Alegre on an Xhdata d-808 receiver.

Click here to view on YouTube.

Armstrong Broadcast Returns to New Jersey on June 19, 2025

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The Armstrong Tower in Alpine, NJ (Photo by Ww2censor via Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Alan and Conrad for sharing the news that the annual Armstrong Radio Broadcast event will return to Alpine, New Jersey, on Thursday, June 19, 2025, beginning at 12 p.m. ET. The commemorative broadcast will air on 42.8 MHz, the original low-band FM frequency used by Edwin Howard Armstrong. This special transmission, using vintage equipment, will cover much of the New York City Tri-State area. ?

In addition to the broadcast, there will be a public event on-site at the historic Armstrong Tower in Alpine—an opportunity to gather with fellow radio enthusiasts at a truly iconic location in broadcasting history.

Check out the full details and history via Radio World.

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.

The Annual 13 Colonies Special Event: July 1-7, 2025

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Saul Broudy (W3WHK), who writes:

13 Colonies Special Event 1-7 July 2025

For years I have been one of the operators for WM3PEN, the ham station in this event representing the city of Philadelphia, where the USA officially declared its independence from Great Britain on 4 July 1776. I thought the SWL world might have an interest in logging the 16 stations participating in July’s 13 Colonies event described below, and sending for a certificate and/or QSL cards.
73,
Saul

In just a few weeks, one of the most popular summer operating events kicks off – The 13 Colonies special event. Now in its 17th year, the event has grown from special event stations making approximately 12,000 contacts to last year making 292,496 contacts around the world.

The event runs from 1 July 9:00am EDT – 7 July midnight EDT (1 July 1300 UTC – 8 July 0400 UTC).

This year, event organizers are recognizing the 13 Colonies event founder Ken Villone, KU2US.

The event consists of one station operating in each of the 13 original colonies (K2A – K2M) and three bonus stations (WM3PEN – Philadelphia, GB13COL – England, TM13COL – France) each representing their city, state, or country’s role in America’s colonial period.

Ham radio operators and SWLs alike can participate in the event(all modes). Complete information about the callsign for each colony station and the bonus stations can be found on the event website 13colonies.us, and they can follow us on Facebook – 13 Colonies Special Event Community. Stations need only make one contact or report with one of the participating stations or they can go for a clean sweep and listen for all 13 Colonies stations and the 3 bonus stations. Each station offers a special QSL card for the event as well as a different certificate each year. Operators can keep an eye out for the various stations by watching many of the DX spotting sites such as DXSummit.fi.

Podcast: Homemaker Radio in Nebraska

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Jeramy, who shares this Nebraska History Podcast episode about women radio hosts in Nebraska:

Radio has always played a role in connecting people. Early homemaker radio programs, like Mary Moore Homemaker on WJAG in Norfolk, focused on providing content and support for the women in their listening areas.

In this episode of the Nebraska History Podcast, we explore radio’s impact in connecting with and influencing women in Nebraska through the 2019 Nebraska History Magazine article, “Stirring Up Conversation: The Radio Homemaker,” by Mark Smith and Larry Walklin.