Tag Archives: Dan Greenall

Dan Visits the Great Lakes Museum in Kingston, Ontario

by Dan Greenall

While visiting friends this past weekend in Kingston, Ontario, my wife and I paid a visit to the Great Lakes Museum where we had the good fortune to tour the S S Keewatin, a Titanic-era passenger ship that served the Great Lakes between 1908 and 1965. It is now a floating museum and permanently docked in Kingston.

One of the first stops on our 1.5-hour tour was at the original wireless station, call sign VGMC, which originally began as VGC. I snapped a few quick photos before being whisked away past the amateur radio station that has been set up and occasionally goes on the air, call sign VA3VGC.

The call sign commemorates the ship’s original maritime radio call signs, which the SS Keewatin used starting around 1911 with its Marconi wireless equipment. A couple more photos were hastily taken, as the tour moved quickly along. Additional information about the equipment that is on display here can be found at: https://greatlakesmuseum.ca/wp-content/uploads/VA3VGC_Photo-Gallery-compressed.pdf

Later on, while viewing some of the passenger cabins aboard the Keewatin, I spotted an old issue of Electronics Illustrated from October 1959 lying on a bed.

You can read a copy here: https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Electronics-Illustrated/Electronics-Illustrated-1959-10.pdf

I would encourage anyone visiting the Kingston, Ontario area to take a tour of the S S Keewatin. I suspect there are other Museum Ships out there with a Wireless station set up and would be interested to hear about any of these.

Dan Greenall, Ontario, Canada

AM BCB Radio DXing in 1973 – KKJO 1550 – Turning back the clocks

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Image: Universal Radio

by Dan Greenall

While the House of Representatives in the U.S.approved the Sunshine Protection Act, the Senate has not yet passed it, meaning most states should return to “Standard Time” on November 1. The DJ in the following recording seemed pleased that he would be getting an extra hour of sleep on Sunday, October 28, 1973. However, should some states choose to adopt Daylight Time permanently in the future, the time zones, as we have known them, could become quite fragmented. Caution will need to be taken when trying to ID a BCB station by means of their time check.

In the wee hours of October 28, 1973, this DX recording was made of radio station KKJO in St. Joseph, MO (about an hour’s drive north of Kansas City) broadcasting on 1550 kHz in the AM broadcast band. According to White’s Radio Log for Fall 1973, KKJO was running 5000 watts of power. My receiving post was some 800 + miles distant in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. I was using a Realistic DX-150A communications receiver hooked up to a long wire antenna. You can hear the station fade gradually in and out a number of times during the recording, but fortunately faded in around the 2:49 mark to catch their station ID and announcement about returning to Central Standard Time. Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” is heard at first, and Art Garfunkel’s “All I Know” afterward, 2 very popular songs in 1973.

Recording:

This was considered unusual reception at my listening post. The image below shows the nighttime antenna patterns for radio stations on 1550 kHz.

Also check out this close-up coverage map (PDF).

You will note that Windsor, Ontario station CBE is normally heard in southern Ontario, and that KKJO’s signal is mostly directed to the north and west of St. Joseph, MO. On this occasion, it seems that CBE may have been off the air for maintenance, and KKJO was then heard off the side of their beamed signal.

Dan Greenall, Ontario, Canada

FEBC, Manila, Philippines – Then and Now

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by Dan Greenall

The Far East Broadcasting Company in Manila is currently celebrating 80 years on shortwave, while at the same time, planning to close down in March 2027.

I first heard them from my listening post in southern Ontario, Canada back in 1972, and received this colourful QSL from them.

They used to broadcast a number of their programs in unusual dialects, but many were in English, as can be seen from this page from the 1972 World Radio TV Handbook.

Their interval signal came from the hymn “We have heard the Joyful Sound.” Two versions of it can be found on Jerry Johnston’s website of shortwave interval signals, one from 1993, and another from 2005 (which is the same version they use today in 2026). Find Jerry’s recordings here: https://www.iaswww.com/swmp3/intervalsignals/simple_is.php

The SWLing Post recently received news from contributor Paul Walker that the FEBC would be shutting down its shortwave service in March 2027. https://swling.com/blog/2026/08/febc-philippines-plans-to-close-march-2027/

The good news is, there is still time to log this station before they are gone forever. Listen to a couple of recent recordings made using a KiwiSDR in northern Thailand.

#1 – Interval signal followed by sign on in Mongolian. Recorded October 4, 2026 at 1114 UTC on 15330 kHz

#2 – Sign off in Japanese followed by interval signal. Recorded October 3, 2026 at 1426 UTC on 15620 kHz

#3 – Made April 17, 2025 around 0013 hours UTC, they are supposedly switching from Lu to Lahu. If you listen carefully, you can pick out “FEBC” around the 2:11 mark. The frequency of this broadcast was 12055 kHz and I was using a remote SDR receiver located in northern Thailand.

#4 – Made July 6, 2025 beginning at 2257 hours UTC, you will hear the interval signal they have been using for many years, “We Have Heard the Joyful Sound.” While the Asian language used for this broadcast on 12055 kHz is unknown, you will again hear a clear “FEBC” around the 3:03 mark of this recording.

They are currently using 100 kW transmitters in Bocaue and Iba, Philippines. Programs are aired in many languages I have never heard of, but none are in English. You can have a look at their broadcast schedule here: https://shortwave.live/freq?station=FEBC+Manila&language=&target=&band=&hour=17&minute=45

ELWA Monrovia, Liberia – Then and Now

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by Dan Greenall

Radio ELWA (Eternal Love Winning Africa) is a Christian ministry station that has been on the air from Monrovia, Liberia since 1954. When I first heard them in the 1970’s from my listening post in Ontario, Canada, they were using 10 and 50 kw transmitters to broadcast their programs to targets in most parts of the African continent and the Middle East. A couple of old recordings I made captured their interval signal and a station ID in Arabic: https://archive.org/details/elwa-monrovia-liberia-1970

They sent me this attractive QSL card in 1970.

The 1971 Communications Handbook profiled the station on page 14.

From 1989 to 2003, Liberia was embroiled in a couple of lengthy civil wars, and ELWA was forced off the air at least a couple of times. This simple folded paper QSL, that included their program schedule, was issued during this period for reception in 1994.

The station also endured a major Ebola outbreak and the Covid 19 pandemic as described in this link: https://www.elwaministries.org/radio/

Today, ELWA broadcasts programs primarily to the city of Monrovia on 94.5 FM. However, these programs are simulcast with one kilowatt on 6050 kHz shortwave for the rest of the country. They can be tricky to hear in other parts of the world. In recent months, a co-channel Chinese station made reception difficult, even through the use of remote KiwiSDR’s. However, this past week, I have found them in the clear (in English!) for up to 2 hours before 2230 UTC sign off, using a KiwiSDR in the Azores Islands.

Five separate recordings made between September 17 and 20 can be found at this link and embedded below:

ELWA 1

ELWA 2

ELWA 3

ELWA 4

ELWA Sign-Off

I have also been able to hear their signal recently using SDR’s in Cape Cod, MA and Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles.

You can listen to ELWA 94.5 FM online at: https://radio.galcom.org/?station=ELWARadio

All India Radio on Shortwave – Then and Now

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by Dan Greenall

Back in the 1970’s, All India Radio (also called Akashvani) had no programs beamed to North America. Perhaps, partly because of this, it took me nearly a year and a half of DXing to finally hear them from my listening post in southern Ontario, Canada. I used to think their evening transmission to the UK and Western Europe on 9912 at 1945 hours UTC would be my best bet, but as it turns out, I had better luck at 1330 UTC when their target area was Southeast Asia. This was part of their General Overseas Service in English, and their schedule from the 1975 World Radio TV Handbook is attached.

Here is a recording of the station circa 1971, beginning with their interval signal.

Fast forward 55 years to September 1, 2026. English language programs from All India Radio now seem to be quite scarce. There are only one or two daily news bulletins in English, each roughly 15 minutes in length. Many of their broadcasts are aired via powerful transmitters in Bengaluru (Bangalore) in southern India.

This first recording was made using a remote SDR near Perth, Australia, on September 1, 2026, on 15410 kHz beginning around 0243 hours UTC. At about the 2:11 mark of the recording, they switch into English with the announcement: “Akashvani presents morning news.”

In the second recording, made September 9, a strong signal was noted on 15260 kHz at 0130 hours UTC, while tuning on a KiwiSDR in Bandung, Indonesia. The familiar interval signal of All India Radio is heard beginning at the 1:25 mark followed by sign on in Indonesian.

Waterfall images from pirate radio

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

Hi Thomas

The concept of transmitting images through SDR waterfalls is relatively new to me. Last weekend, while listening to pirate Radio 48 (via Mix Radio International) remotely on SDRs in Rochester, NY, and Cape Cod, MA, I snapped these photos of their 10 kHz-wide USB signal on 6935, along with some of the pictures and text that scrolled down beside it.

Less than 24 hours later, I came across another stream of graphics, this time on 6960 kHz. It displayed a web page address for Radio Free Spirit. These were followed by a brief stream of audio on USB of a man and woman having a conversation, which ended abruptly without any announcement. I searched out an email address for Radio Free Spirit and sent off an inquiry. Within 15 minutes, a response was received confirming it had been them, simply running a test and had not expected anyone to hear them or reply.

Photos taken of both stations are attached here along with some related audio clips.

Radio 48:

Radio Free Spirit:

I am wondering if others have had experiences with this type of reception and if any international broadcasters have ever dabbled in it.

Dan Greenall, Ontario, Canada

4DX South Johnstone, Queensland – New station testing on shortwave!

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

Hi Thomas

Thanks to a tip from Rob Wagner’s most recent blog, “The Mount Evelyn DX Report,” I was able to tune into Australia’s newest low-powered shortwave station, 4DX, from South Johnstone in northern Queensland. It is roughly 1300 km north of Brisbane, 200 km north of Townsville, and about 80 km south of Cairns.

The station has been conducting tests (by Al Kirton) for at least the past couple of months on 5055 kHz shortwave, and power is reported to be 1 kW.

I recorded their signal today, August 20, 2026, beginning at 1137 hours UTC using a KiwiSDR in Brisbane:

Music is played until the 1:47 mark, followed by the announcement “Radio Four Delta X-ray on 5055 kilohertz. 4DX regular transmissions will begin in September.” No more audio was heard, but an open carrier was still present.

Dan Greenall, Ontario, Canada