{"id":66598,"date":"2026-07-15T02:03:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T06:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=66598"},"modified":"2026-07-15T02:03:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T06:03:52","slug":"a-special-qsl-card-remembering-the-bbc-and-deutsche-welle-drm-partnership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/a-special-qsl-card-remembering-the-bbc-and-deutsche-welle-drm-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"A Special QSL Card: Remembering the BBC and Deutsche Welle DRM Partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Many thanks to SWling Post<\/em> contributor, Paul Jamet, who hares the following article and notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I enjoyed this beautifully illustrated article: Snail Mail QSLs \u2013 A Few Stories from a Bygone Era<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m also taking up the invitation to share a memorable QSL card of my own.<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve received hundreds of QSL cards by snail mail. After some hesitation, I\u2019ve chosen a QSL card that I received quickly (in 6 days) but which reflects a time when two very important international radio stations were strong believers in Digital Radio Mondial (DRM):<\/em><\/p>\n

Testimony of a Joint BBC \/ DW DRM Programme for Europe<\/h1>\n

by Paul Jamet<\/strong><\/p>\n

My most memorable QSL card bears witness to the collaboration between the BBC World Service (BBC-WS) and Deutsche Welle (DW). These two broadcasters launched a major radio project in the late 2000s: a joint shortwave transmission in DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale), aimed at providing a high-quality digital service for Europe.<\/p>\n

The BBC and DW established a partnership to pool their transmission capabilities and deliver a single digital stream (in English) across Europe. Transmission sites located in Sines (Portugal), Woofferton (United Kingdom), and Moosbrunn (Austria) were used to ensure broadcasting from 06:00 local time until midnight.<\/p>\n

This is why I invested around \u20ac300 in purchasing a DiWave 100 receiver to listen to this programme, broadcast using a technology that both broadcasters were intensively testing at the time. The AFS function\u2014Alternative Frequency Switching or Signalling\u2014allowed the receiver to automatically follow frequency changes throughout the day without any manual intervention. The programme originated alternately from Berlin or London, on one or more frequencies transmitted from the sites mentioned above.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This QSL card, along with the screenshot from the DiWave 100 that enabled me to obtain it, stands as evidence of a broken dream [mainly due to the rise of streaming, but also the lack of DRM receivers].<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>The BBC and DW eventually abandoned the project. In terms of digital broadcasting, DAB+\u2014a technology stemming from the European Eureka project\u2014has become dominant across Europe. Today, the BBC World Service, and especially Radio Romania International, continue to broadcast daily to Europe. TDF (T\u00e9l\u00e9diffusion de France) is conducting trials on various frequencies from its Issoudun transmission centre.<\/p>\n

Today, I still believe in DRM. This technology uses HF bands and makes it possible to cover vast areas with a single transmitter, while offering significantly improved listening conditions and additional services such as text transmission (Journaline), images, and emergency warning messages (EWF technology).<\/p>\n

References :<\/h3>\n