Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report.
Carlos notes:
Wildfires, via Radio Nacional Argentina, BBC and China Radio International
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report.
Carlos notes:
There’s no better place than AM and FM stations to get local news. I am a die-hard shortwave fan, but it’s on medium wave and frequency modulation that I stay informed about what is happening in my region. So, I decided to follow some news reports from radio stations based in Rio Grande do Sul as the state faces the onset of the El Niño phenomenon in 2026—an event experts had predicted.
The stations I listened to were:
These events unfolded just as the population of Rio Grande do Sul was still trying to recover from the trauma of the massive 2024 flood, which devastated numerous municipalities and inundated parts of the state capital, Porto Alegre, where I live.
Downtown Porto Alegre, May 2024.
Naturally, this topic took up significant airtime on these stations. In the case of Rádio Independente in Lajeado—a municipality in a region hit by the recent high waters and severely battered by the 2024 flood—coverage was minute-by-minute. This highlights the fundamental role of radio—something I always like to emphasize—as it relays alerts, provides updates on river levels and flooded areas, and interviews authorities. I had visited Lajeado on June 12, 2024, to document the aftermath of the climate catastrophe that ravaged parts of the city, and I returned two years later, on July 23, 2026, to assess the damage from this latest flood. It’s a personal matter for me, as I was an eyewitness to this tragedy.
Lajeado, June 2024
Lajeado, July 2026
Today, July 28, 2026, the broadcaster Tua Rádio reported on the damage caused by a storm that struck the municipality of Caxias do Sul, detailing the various public services disrupted by the loss of electricity, telephone lines, and the Internet. The presenter even took the time to explain the Beaufort scale, which was used to classify the storm winds that hit the area.
She also advised listeners: “Keep an ear on the radio.”
Once again, we arrive at a conclusion that all of us radio enthusiasts know by heart: everything fails… except the battery-powered radio! Power goes out, phone lines go down, and the Internet cuts out, but people can always rely on their battery-powered radios—something people in Spain, Portugal, and Chile also know well, having faced widespread blackouts in 2025.
The radio monitoring was conducted in Porto Alegre using two receivers: the Xhdata D808 and the Ecopower EP-F23B (the latter equipped with a flashlight and a solar panel).
That’s why I must insist: climate change is already knocking at our door. We need to prepare for the times ahead. And even though we are living through all the modern marvels of the 21st century—with AI and everything else—at the end of the day, what will save us is a battery-powered radio and a pack of candles.
Here’s the illustrated radio listening report.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report.
Carlos notes:
(Translated from the French)
“In France, as of 7 a.m., 42,000 hectares have been consumed in the Gironde region in the southwest, with a total of 250,000 people evacuated. The fire is located 15 kilometers away. So far, 240 houses have been destroyed—178 in the commune of Le Porge alone, where the blaze began. Additionally, five firefighters have been injured. A massive force is currently mobilized, including 2,500 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel, and 1,200 police officers and gendarmes; yet, they acknowledge their inability to control the fire’s immediate, erratic behavior.”
(Translated from the Spanish)
“Spain remains focused on the fires. The Ávila fire, with 50,000 hectares affected, is now the largest in Spain’s history. Added to those in Madrid and Toledo, a total of 77,000 hectares have been devastated across the three fires.”
“President Pedro Sánchez is set to visit Extremadura.
Earlier this Sunday, he visited Navaluenga, in Ávila—an area affected by the Castellón fire—
where he once again emphasized the need for a state pact to the climate emergency:
‘It is no longer just a matter of economic loss, but also of emotional distress
for many local residents who see their surroundings reduced to ash by these fires.
We must translate that obligation into a major state pact
to address the climate emergency’.”
There’s something curious about listening to this tiny Sony SRF-SR84 receiver: when I hold it close to this metal fence, the medium wave reception improves significantly.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report.
Carlos notes:
Trump threatens Canada with tariffs over wildfire smoke, Radio 10, Argentina, 710 kHz AM
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who writes:
Since the Brazilian government adopted legislation allowing AM stations to migrate to FM, the medium-wave spectrum has become more favorable for the propagation of radio signals from other countries—specifically, in the case of southern Brazil, from Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. As night falls, the radio dial in Porto Alegre fills with Spanish-speaking broadcasts. And any receiver can pick up these transmissions—and I mean *any* receiver, including this Sharp SG-220 all-in-one stereo system from the late 1970s.
As long as the neighbors don’t turn on any electrical appliances (which cause terrible interference), it’s possible to tune in perfectly to stations from those countries. In this video, I take a quick tour of the stereo system’s dial so you can get an idea of ??what I’m talking about, including an Illustrated Radio Listening Report.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report.
Carlos notes:
Climate change El Niño via UNID/Paraguay, Radio Splendid/Argentina & Super Rede Boa Vontade/Brazil
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report.
Carlos notes:
Malvinas: Tierra del Fuego denounces warship, Radio 10, Argentina, 710 kHz AM