{"id":63195,"date":"2025-06-17T06:36:46","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T10:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=63195"},"modified":"2025-06-15T08:46:01","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T12:46:01","slug":"radio-kwid-and-the-war-in-the-pacific-a-listeners-question-from-radar-yarns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/radio-kwid-and-the-war-in-the-pacific-a-listeners-question-from-radar-yarns\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio KWID and the War in the Pacific"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor Jerome van der Linden, who writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For my bedtime reading I have recently been going through a book (\u201cRadar Yarns\u201d) which contains lots of stories, many of them humorous, about Australians that were involved in setting up radar stations during WWII around the coast of Australia as well as New Guinea.<\/p>\n

There has been a mention of the guys in one location listening to the BBC, and of them sometimes having a shortwave radio where they once listened to Tokyo Rose. But I came across a sentence which made me wonder, and I thought someone in the SWLing post community might be able to throw some light on it: \u201cAccording to an announcement on Radio KWID, San Francisco, it was a great victory for the American forces. It was broadcast as part of the 4th July celebrations in 1943 that Woodlark and the Trobriand Islands (which includes Kiriwina) had been captured with \u2018little or no resistance<\/em>\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n

So, I had originally asked Thomas to raise a post on this as I had not heard of KWID in my 65 odd years of SW listening, but then\u2026.a couple of days later – while watching some TV with the wife \u2013 I was doing some googling on my phone, and came across an article published in 2008 by Radio World: https:\/\/www.radioworld.com\/columns-and-views\/a-voice-across-the-pacific-kwid-amp-kwix<\/a>. This has answered my own question!<\/p>\n

I recommend all those who are part of the SWLing Post<\/em> Community and who have an interest in the history of SW broadcasting should read the above article, you will get a lot more from that than if I were to quote parts of it. It was apparently written by Dr Adrian M Peterson who used to feature on Media Network occasionally (Radio Netherlands, Jonathan Marks). It would seem that KWID was one of the founding stations \/ transmitters of the Voice of America, and it was well heard in the Pacific, which explains why it was mentioned in the book I was reading. There was also one sentence in the article that caught my eye: \u201cthe physical size of both transmitters was the same at 68 feet long\u201d.\u00a0 Can you imagine that?!<\/p>\n

Then lastly, I\u2019ve learned an amazing coincidence: Dr Adrian M Peterson was born in South Australia, in 1931: that\u2019s my home state in Australia!<\/p>\n

Jerome van der Linden<\/p>\n

Fascinating, Jerome! Thank you for sharing this!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Jerome van der Linden, who writes: For my bedtime reading I have recently been going through a book (\u201cRadar Yarns\u201d) which contains lots of stories, many of them humorous, about Australians that were involved in setting up radar stations during WWII around the coast of Australia as well as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,305,288],"tags":[6387,10841,676],"class_list":["post-63195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","tag-jerome-van-der-linden","tag-kwid","tag-wwii"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-grh","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27384,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/4kz-update-broadcasts-will-commence-after-transmitter-repairs\/","url_meta":{"origin":63195,"position":0},"title":"4KZ Update: broadcasts will commence after transmitter repairs","author":"Thomas","date":"August 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Jerome van der Linden, who shares an update from 4KZ Station Manager, Al Kirton: Hi Jerome 5055 is not on the air yet. The transmitter failed and requires some inexpensive parts which are not available in Australia. They should be here any day from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Innisfail-Queensland-Australia-4KZ.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Innisfail-Queensland-Australia-4KZ.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Innisfail-Queensland-Australia-4KZ.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":58474,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/jerome-seeks-information-about-a-vintage-howard-radio-co-receiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":63195,"position":1},"title":"Jerome seeks information about a vintage Howard Radio Co. receiver","author":"Thomas","date":"December 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jerome van der Linden, who writes seeking a bit of help: Hello Thomas, From time to time I see you\u2019ve tried to ID receivers used in movies etc. I have a slightly different request that I hope you may pass on... I\u2019m trying to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Jerome-Mystery-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Jerome-Mystery-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Jerome-Mystery-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Jerome-Mystery-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Jerome-Mystery-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Jerome-Mystery-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50842,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/11\/jerome-makes-an-aluminum-back-stand-for-the-pl-880\/","url_meta":{"origin":63195,"position":2},"title":"Jerome makes an aluminum back stand for the PL-880","author":"Thomas","date":"November 11, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jerome van der Linden, who writes: Hello Thomas, I have managed to break three of these flimsy PL-880 back stands, and thought, \"how hard can it be to make one out of metal?\" These two photos are the result from a piece of aluminium\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Jerome-Tecsun-PL880-Back-Stand-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Jerome-Tecsun-PL880-Back-Stand-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Jerome-Tecsun-PL880-Back-Stand-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Jerome-Tecsun-PL880-Back-Stand-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Jerome-Tecsun-PL880-Back-Stand-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53568,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/07\/jeromes-response-from-australian-foreign-affairs-regarding-shortwave-to-pacific\/","url_meta":{"origin":63195,"position":3},"title":"Jerome’s response from Australian Foreign Affairs regarding shortwave to Pacific","author":"Thomas","date":"July 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jerome van der Linden, who shares the following response from\u00a0from the Australian Foreign Affairs department regarding any future shortwave services to the Pacific. As Jerome notes, the letter \"suggests that all is not yet lost, though it's lacking in commitment.\" Click here to download\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International Broadcasting"","block_context":{"text":"International Broadcasting","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/international-broadcasting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Digitech-AR-1780-keypad-closeup-radio-dial-e1515698199697.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Digitech-AR-1780-keypad-closeup-radio-dial-e1515698199697.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Digitech-AR-1780-keypad-closeup-radio-dial-e1515698199697.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Digitech-AR-1780-keypad-closeup-radio-dial-e1515698199697.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29946,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/4kz-update-transmitting-low-power-for-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":63195,"position":4},"title":"4KZ update: Transmitting low power for now","author":"Thomas","date":"January 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Jerome van der Linden, who writes: Have been communicating with Al Kirton (4KZ, Innisfail, Queensland Manager), and by virtue of my membership of a couple of Facebook groups for caravan (trailer to you) owners in Australia, have publicized the fact that Al is keen for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Innisfail-Queensland-Australia-4KZ.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Innisfail-Queensland-Australia-4KZ.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Innisfail-Queensland-Australia-4KZ.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53232,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/07\/jerome-would-like-to-know-more-about-the-starwaves-truckbox-drm-converter\/","url_meta":{"origin":63195,"position":5},"title":"Jerome would like to know more about the Starwaves Truckbox DRM converter","author":"Thomas","date":"July 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Jerome van der Linden, who writes: Hello Thomas, Back in January 2019 you featured in SWLing an item about a portable DRM\/DAB receiver produced by Starwaves GmbH. It seems the same company had also produced a DRM\/DAB to FM convertor for use in trucks and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DRM"","block_context":{"text":"DRM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/drm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Starwaves-Truckbox.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63195"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63198,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63195\/revisions\/63198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}