Tag Archives: Radio Prague

Dan Shares Recordings of the Golden Days of European Shortwave Listening

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who shares the following guest post:

Europe on shortwave in the 1970’s

by Dan Greenall

During the golden years of shortwave listening, many European countries had an international shortwave service and broadcast programs to North America (where I live) in English. As a result, these stations were usually among the first that a newcomer to the hobby would find. However, since there was no internet or e-mail, schedules often had to be found in the various club bulletins and hobby magazines. QSLs arrived through the postal system and could often take months to arrive.

I soon developed the habit of making a brief recording of each station as additional “proof of reception,” and many of these have survived to this day. These were typically made by placing the microphone directly in front of the speaker of my receiver. In recent years, they have been uploaded to the Internet Archive, and links to some of them from the early 1970s can be found here.

[Note that each title links to the Archive.org page where you can find more information and QSLs.]

Radio Moscow

Deutsche Welle, Cologne

Radio Berlin International

Belgian Radio

Radio Belgrade

RAI, Rome

ORTF, Paris

IBRA Radio via Radio Trans Europe in Portugal

Radio Sofia Bulgaria

Austrian Radio

Radio Prague

Radio Denmark

Radio Luxembourg

Vatican Radio

Radio Sweden

Trans World Radio Monte Carlo

Radio Kiev

Radio Free Europe

Radio Nordsee International

Radio Prague Interview: Jeff White on Why Shortwave Still Matters

1 Reply

Speaking from Prague at the latest HFCC (High Frequency Coordination Conference), Jeff White—chairman of the HFCC and founder of Radio Miami International—shares why shortwave broadcasting still matters now more than ever. He reflects on decades of shortwave listening, recalls how Radio Prague hooked him in as a kid, and shares the practical work the HFCC does to keep global broadcasts interference-free.

White also reminds us why shortwave endures: it reaches places with little or no internet, rural areas where AM/FM won’t cut it, and listeners who simply love hearing signals from halfway around the world. Despite funding challenges and broadcast cutbacks, he believes shortwave has a bright future—and a fascinating story behind it.

Read the full article at Radio Prague International

Many thanks to David Iurescia for sharing this tip!

Radio Prague’s New QSLs and RRI’s Personality of the Year

“What connects the Finnish YLE station and Prague?”

Radio Prague’s 2024 QSL Card Series

Radio Prague’s 2024 QSL card series will be musical – and digital

To this day, Radio Prague International has kept up the decades-long tradition of QSL cards – postcards confirming receipt of reception reports to listeners. Every year, we have created a new series of postcards to send to listeners. In 2024, there will be something else new – in addition to the traditional printed versions, we will also start producing and sending digital QSL cards.

2024 is the year of Czech music – and so is the theme for next year’s QSL card series.

With a different QSL card for every quarter, Kristýna Marková’s graphic designs will bring you images inspired by the most famous Czech classical music names – Antonín Dvo?ák, Bed?ich Smetana, Leoš Janá?ek and Ema Destinnová.

The Times They Are A-Changin’

Many international radio stations, as they muted their shortwave broadcasts, also stopped issuing QSL cards. However, Radio Prague International continues to preserve this tradition.

Unfortunately, significant price hikes by the Czech postal service have forced us to make a few changes. From 2024, we will only send printed postcards to listeners who send us a printed postcard or letter themselves. Otherwise, we will send digital QSL cards to those who send us a message by email or via our web form.

We hope that our digital QSL cards will delight you as much as our printed ones have and that you will continue to be among our loyal listeners for years to come.

Click here to read the original article and to view more images at Radio Prague online.

Radio Prague Celebrates 100 Years with Special Program & QSL Card on May 18, 2023

1 Reply

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following story from Radio Prague International:

Celebrate 100 years of Czech Radio by telling us where you listen to us! (Radio Prague International)

To mark Czech Radio’s centenary, Radio Prague International is preparing a special show for you on Thursday 18 May. Listen to it and write to let us know where you heard it to receive a special Czech Radio QSL card made especially for the anniversary!

Regular public radio broadcasting in Czechoslovakia began on 18 May 1923. At 8.15 pm on that day, from a canvas tent lent to the radio by a local scout troop in Kbely on the outskirts of Prague, the words “Hello, hello, this is the broadcasting station Radiojournal” could be heard sounding out.

The broadcast lasted about an hour. Although it was mostly only listened to by technology enthusiasts in its first few months, Czechoslovakia nevertheless became the second European country after the United Kingdom to have regular radio broadcasts.

For May 18, we have prepared a special programme for you from behind the scenes of Czech Radio. Tell us which town or city and country you listened to it in so that, 100 years after the first transmission, we can map where Czech Radio’s broadcasts reach today. We would be especially grateful if you could enclose a photo of yourself in the place where you listen to us along with your message.

Write to us at: [email protected]

In return, we’ll send you a special QSL card issued to mark the centenary, which comes from a 1933 radio exhibition and shows where the first international radio transmissions from Czechoslovakia were received.

Those of you who are interested in receiving a physical QSL card can send us a postal address. Otherwise, we will send you a digital copy by email.

Click here to read this article at Radio Prague International.

Radio Prague QSL Cards for 2023

3 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following announcement from Radio Prague:

Radio Prague’s QSL Cards (Radio Prague)

The three letters – QSL – constitute one of the codes originally developed in the days of the telegraph. All codes consisted of three letters beginning with “Q”. Later some of these “Q” codes were adopted by radio-telegraphists and radio listeners. QSL means “contact confirmed” or “reception confirmed”.

The expression “QSL card” or just “QSL” gradually came to be used among radio-amateurs and then more broadly as radio began to develop as a mass medium. Radio stations were keen to know how well and how far away their programmes could be heard and began to send their listeners “QSL cards” in return for reception reports. The card would include letters making up the “call sign” of the station – the system still used in the United States – or the broadcasting company’s logo or some other illustration. The card would also include a text stating the frequency and the transmitter output power, and a confirmation of when the listener heard the station.

Domestic broadcasters do not tend to use QSL cards these days, but their popularity remains among radio stations broadcasting internationally. They are still keen to know how well they can be heard in the parts of the world to which they broadcast. In the era of shortwave broadcasts Radio Prague sent out QSL cards for reception reports received. Today we also send QSL cards to those who listen to us on the internet.

https://english.radio.cz/reception-report

Click here to read the announcement at Radio Prague and view a gallery of all Radio Prague QSL cards for 2023.