Tag Archives: e-skip

Radio Waves: 2026 SWL Contest Winners, FM Stations Go Transatlantic with E-Skip, and Compromise Lead to AM Radio Bill to House Passage

Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Frank and Dennis Dura for the following tips:

The Results of the 2026 SWL Contest

Many thanks to Frank who shares the results of the 2026 SWL Contest on his website.

[Click here to read about the winners and prizes.]

When the FM Band Goes Transatlantic (Radio World)

FM broadcast signals can travel long distances under the right conditions.

We’ve touched on E-skip several times in this space, particularly how double-hop sporadic-E makes transatlantic receptions possible. Receptions like these have been documented by long-distant radio enthusiasts such as Ireland’s Paul Logan catching North American signals, and the reverse accomplished by Bryce Foster on Cape Cod and Larry Horlick in Newfoundland.

Now, another operator, this time in Spain, has joined those ranks. Mauricio Molano, a retired 47-year radio veteran and DXer since age 15, recently shared his loggings with us.

[Continue reading…]

Legislative Compromises Pushed AM Radio Bill to House Passage (Radio World)

The National Association of Broadcasters and other prominent players are celebrating Tuesday’s House vote in favor of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. But the passage of the bill did involve some compromises.

The radio industry admits it didn’t get everything it wanted when the original bill when it was first introduced. The bill includes a sunset provision of eight years instead of the 10 years originally proposed.

[Continue reading…]

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Sporadic-E and FM DXing

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Alan, who shares this Radio World piece which explores the fascinating world of long-distance FM reception via sporadic-E (E-skip), including rare double-hop events: Double-Hop Dreams and the Mystery of Long-Distance FM

A great read for anyone interested in the world of VHF propagation!

Alan also shared these resources:

Australian Bureau of Meteorology – Propagation Modes: Learn about various propagation mechanisms, including transequatorial propagation.
HeyWhatsthat.com Path Profiler: Calculate great-circle paths, view terrain profiles, and check Fresnel zones. Ideal for evaluating DX paths and terrain obstructions.
FCC FM Query: Look up FM station data, including transmitter location, ERP, and HAAT—helpful for assessing potential reception range, even for low-power stations.

Thanks, Alan!

Sporadic E on the Red Planet

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(Source: Inverse)

Thanks to NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission to Mars, you may soon never need to fiddle with the tuning dial on a car radio again.

When we listen to songs on the radio, the sound travels via radio waves that are given out by a transmitter and then received by a receiver — in the case of a car, the car’s antenna is the receiver.

Radio waves travel in the form of electromagnetic radiation from one antenna to the other. The journey, however, isn’t always perfect.

Sometimes, there is a sudden spike in the amount of hot gas in the upper layer of Earth’s atmosphere which causes interference in radio communications. If you are tuned into a favorite station, that could result in static, or for one radio station to be replaced by another.

This phenomenon, known as sporadic E layer, is difficult to study on Earth because that part of the planet’s atmosphere is hard to reach with satellites. As a result, scientists can’t predict when they will occur — leaving us to fiddle with dials.

But thanks to MAVEN, a spacecraft traveling 300 million miles away from our planet, we could finally have the solution.

MAVEN detected sporadic E layer in Mars’ upper atmosphere, and scientists are hoping to be able to use the Red Planet as an off-Earth laboratory to study the phenomenon up close. Already, the data have provided new insights into the cause of radio static, which also affects communications with aircrafts and military radars.[…]