Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who writes:
Hi Thomas:
I hope you have started a very good year!!!
I’m sending you the link where you can see the new 2016 QSLs from Radio Prague:http://radio.cz/en/static/qsl/qsl-cards
These are about religious buildings in the Czech Republic.
Yours from Argentina
David Iurescia LW4DAF
Very cool! Thanks for passing this along, David!
Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Knut, who recently informed me that the German language services of Radio Slovakia International, Radio Prague, Radio Ukraine International and the Polish Radio External Service are being relayed on shortwave radio, via Radio 700 in Euskirchen, Germany.
All broadcasts are on 3985 kHz and are transmitted daily (with 1 kW), beginning at 19:30 UTC.
At one thousands watts, on 3,985 kHz, this will be challenging DX outside of Europe. Still, I love the fact that independent broadcasters (like Radio 700, WRMI, WBCQ, etc.) make shortwave broadcasting affordable for many of these international broadcasters.
Knut originally learned about these relays through the German radio blog, DX Aktuell.
Check out Radio 700’s full broadcast schedule by clicking here.
From Andy Sennitt at RNW Media Network:
Nov 2009 Radio Parague QSL Card. Click to enlarge.
An article on Radio Prague’s website deals with the situation following the Czech government’s decision to reduce the station’s budget, especially with regard to shortwave, which the Director of Radio Prague, Miroslav Krupicka, says accounts for about half the station’s audience reach:
“Radio Prague’s budget for this year has been reduced by 15.0 percent. It is a little bit more than we expected but we have to come to terms with it. It still makes it possible for us to continue shortwave broadcasts. What we have to do is to close one of the two shortwave transmitters that we have in Litomyšl. We will be able to cover basically more or less the same territory we have been covering so far, which means the whole of Europe, North Africa, let’s say the Middle East and parts of North and South America. We won’t be reducing very much the area that we cover so far.”
Those economy measures almost halve the shortwave transmission bill to 7.0 million crowns (US$ 387,000) a year. Dutch-based consultant and former RNW Creative Director Jonathan Marks and the AIB’s Simon Spanswick explain to Radio Prague’s Chris Johnstone why some international broadcasters have dropped shortwave altogether.