{"id":64459,"date":"2025-11-02T06:45:46","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T10:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=64459"},"modified":"2025-11-02T06:45:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T10:45:46","slug":"bobs-radio-corner-its-dx-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/bobs-radio-corner-its-dx-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob&#8217;s Radio Corner: It\u2019s DX Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Fig-1.-R-Europe.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-64460\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Fig-1.-R-Europe.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"282\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Noted by Bob Colegrove<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the Northern Hemisphere the nights continue to get longer as we approach the winter solstice; we gain an hour of early evening darkness on Sunday, November 2nd; the summer atmospheric disturbances are nearly gone; propagation is better.\u00a0 It\u2019s time to set aside the activities of summer and once more dive underneath the headsets.<\/p>\n<p>DXing is not the same thing as listening.\u00a0 For listening you position yourself in a nice recliner with the radio on a table beside you.\u00a0 You set the radio to ATS and scan the available fare.\u00a0 You select one of the more interesting results and, together with your favorite beverage, listen to the programming.\u00a0 DXing, on the other hand, requires well planned work and lots of patience.\u00a0 Critics might say it also requires some imagination; however, I have always tried to be honest with myself and ask if what I am hearing is truly QSLable.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_64461\" style=\"width: 437px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Fig-2.-Oswald.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-64461\" class=\"size-full wp-image-64461\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Fig-2.-Oswald.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"427\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Fig-2.-Oswald.jpg 427w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Fig-2.-Oswald-287x300.jpg 287w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-64461\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sir Oswald Davenport, intrepid DXer and Chairman,<br \/>National Association of Armchair Adventurers<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Don\u2019t get me wrong, I listen a lot, but I also DX.\u00a0 Living on the East Coast of NA, I often direct my antenna toward Asia and the Pacific hoping to hear Japan and New Zealand.\u00a0 However, more often than not, these have proven to be illusive.\u00a0 DXing is like fishing.\u00a0 Often, you pull up an old boot or find the bait is gone.\u00a0 Further, the sound quality of a true DX signal will have no appeal to an audiophile.\u00a0 It is intentionally weak and subject to fading.<\/p>\n<p>So, you get your wins when you can.\u00a0 Last February I scanned the 49-meter band stopping at 6130 kHz to identify some faint pop\/rock music.\u00a0 There were two possibilities, a Chinese station and Radio Europe.\u00a0 If you have never heard of Radio Europe, it is in Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands, and has a rather imposing name for a modest 1 kW station.\u00a0 It is targeted to Western Europe, and is listed in HFCC, B25.\u00a0 The station is identified periodically in English by a dramatic baritone male announcer.\u00a0 The recording was made at 0211 UTC on February 6, 2025.\u00a0 The announcement begins 9 seconds into the clip; Radio Europe is mentioned at 23 seconds.<\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-64459-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LIN20250206214310-at-0211.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LIN20250206214310-at-0211.mp3\">https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LIN20250206214310-at-0211.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>The curious thing is Radio Europe is not necessarily well received at the U. of Twente SDR site just 100 miles away.\u00a0 Science notwithstanding, there is simply no accounting for propagation.<\/p>\n<p>Well, Radio Europe is back this season as strong as I have heard it, and if you\u2019re a NA East Coaster, you might give it a try from 2300 UTC on.\u00a0 I see it was reported in Florida in 2023.\u00a0 Using exalted carrier single sideband (ECSS) (SSB in simpler terms) seems to produce the best results.\u00a0 Despite low power and long distance, it\u2019s occasional stations like Radio Europe that keep this DXer fishin\u2019.\u00a0 For a clear sample, it streams here <a href=\"http:\/\/p.liveonlineradio.net\/?p=radio-europe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/p.liveonlineradio.net\/?p=radio-europe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Good DXing \u201925-\u201926.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_64462\" style=\"width: 281px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Fig-3.-Dexter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-64462\" class=\"size-full wp-image-64462\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Fig-3.-Dexter.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"271\" height=\"206\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-64462\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dexter D. Xer<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Noted by Bob Colegrove In the Northern Hemisphere the nights continue to get longer as we approach the winter solstice; we gain an hour of early evening darkness on Sunday, November 2nd; the summer atmospheric disturbances are nearly gone; propagation is better.\u00a0 It\u2019s time to set aside the activities of summer and once more dive [&hellip;]<\/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":[5935,3,305,43],"tags":[7988,10732,1031,10954],"class_list":["post-64459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dx","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-shortwave-radio","tag-bob-colegrove","tag-bobs-radio-corner","tag-dxing","tag-radio-europe"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-gLF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":61740,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/the-curious-case-of-the-nibi-nibi-islands\/","url_meta":{"origin":64459,"position":0},"title":"Bob&#8217;s Radio Corner: The Curious Case of the Nibi-Nibi Islands","author":"Thomas","date":"January 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Bob Colegrove, who writes: Hi Thomas, No mention of UTC or frequency in the attached. Made my day, but some folks apparently were not amused. Source was \"Short-Wave Report\" by Hank Bennett, Popular Electronics, Ziff-Davis Publishing Co., New York, p. 86, March 1959. Regards,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Funny&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Funny","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/funny\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60935,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/responding-to-the-colegrove-inspiration\/","url_meta":{"origin":64459,"position":1},"title":"Responding to &#8220;The Colegrove Inspiration&#8221;","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"October 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM It was Bob Colegrove\u2019s post -- this one\u00a0-- that inspired me and set me on this path. Medium wave broadcast band DXing (MWBCB) has a certain fascination for me, but I am poor at it. Oh sure, I have read the advice: map the band at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Satellit-on-1690-001-001-1024x662.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Satellit-on-1690-001-001-1024x662.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Satellit-on-1690-001-001-1024x662.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64316,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/bobs-radio-corner-shortwave-multiplex\/","url_meta":{"origin":64459,"position":2},"title":"Bob&#8217;s Radio Corner: Shortwave Multiplex?","author":"Thomas","date":"October 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Reported by Bob Colegrove Incurable DXers are always looking for new challenges.\u00a0 So it was, I recently did some scanning between 42 and 45 meters (~6600 to 7000 kHz).\u00a0 Trenton Military on 6754 kHz and the MARS net on 6913 kHz are regulars here, as are a selection of pirates\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","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\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61368,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/bobs-1968-radio-tirana-qsl-card\/","url_meta":{"origin":64459,"position":3},"title":"Bob&#8217;s 1968 Radio Tirana QSL Card","author":"Thomas","date":"December 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Bob Colegrove, who writes: Kudos to Don Moore for his excellently crafted article on Albanian radio. [...]Perhaps some might be interested to see a 1968 QSL from R. Tirana. Regards, Bob Colegrove Thank you for sharing this excellent Radio Tirana QSL card, Bob!","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","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\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62518,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/bobs-radio-corner-buttons-knobs-and-switches\/","url_meta":{"origin":64459,"position":4},"title":"Bob\u2019s Radio Corner: Buttons, Knobs, and Switches","author":"Thomas","date":"April 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Pressing Buttons. Twirling Knobs and Throwing Switches By Bob Colegrove Move along.\u00a0 Nothing informative to read here, just the wandering of an idle mind scheming with meandering fingers on a keyboard.\u00a0 On the other hand, if your curiosity can\u2019t be controlled, consider that a significant amount of enjoyment in this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image6.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image6.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49864,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/bob-colegrove-on-the-joys-and-challenges-of-tuning-analog-radios\/","url_meta":{"origin":64459,"position":5},"title":"Bob Colegrove on &#8220;The Joys and Challenges of Tuning Analog Radios&#8221;","author":"Thomas","date":"August 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove, who recently shared this excellent article and has kindly allowed me to share it here in the the Post. Bob prefaced it by saying, \"Being a retired technical writer, I started the attached article some time ago for my own amusement, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64459","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=64459"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64465,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64459\/revisions\/64465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}