{"id":67266,"date":"2026-10-02T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T12:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=67266"},"modified":"2026-09-30T07:16:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T11:16:25","slug":"shortwave-memories-richard-e-wood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/shortwave-memories-richard-e-wood\/","title":{"rendered":"Shortwave Memories — Richard E. Wood"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>by Karl D. Forth<\/b><\/p>\n

Richard E. Wood may have been the best-known DXer ever.<\/p>\n

I first met him briefly at a radio convention in the mid-1970s; it may have been Columbus or Atlanta. A friend, Robert Kramer, had met him earlier and hadn\u2019t enjoyed his first encounter. Rob had asked Richard to autograph his copy of the book \u201cHow to Listen to the World,\u201d and apparently Richard, the closest thing to a celebrity in the hobby, had for some reason refused.<\/p>\n

A few years later, Richard was teaching languages at Southeast Missouri State University. With fellow DXers Rob Kramer (who had forgiven the earlier snub) and Jeff Roberts, we traveled from our college, Southern Illinois University, to visit Richard.<\/p>\n

We were recruited to erect a television antenna on the roof of his house in Cape Girardeau so he could TV DX. There was moderate, persistent rain, and the roof was a bit slippery. Richard supervised our efforts but didn\u2019t join us on the roof. Our own 1970s interest in television DX led us to understand the urgency of the antenna raising. (We also bought Coors beer that was then unavailable east of the Mississippi River.)<\/p>\n

That day, I asked Dr. Wood which languages he was studying, and he said he was brushing up on his Albanian, producing a German-Albanian dictionary to support this claim.<\/p>\n

Richard, originally from Newcastle, England, was a regular contributor to all of the DX clubs, providing important updates and useful information. He had taught in Indiana, Baton Rouge, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Hawaii, and other locations. Hawaii was his favorite location, and he showed that you could receive most of the world on mediumwave from those islands.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was very intelligent and rubbed some people the wrong way.<\/p>\n

He was also a prolific writer, authoring Shortwave Voices of the World (the Finnish version outsold the English), How to Listen to the World, and the Communications Handbook magazine <\/span>in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

Richard also developed a language recognition course, and studied and wrote about propagation and other subjects.<\/p>\n

My last visit with Richard was in early 2007, when my wife and I were vacationing on the Big Island, and we rented a house for a week not far from Richard\u2019s base in the Hawaiian Paradise Park development, southeast of Hilo. We visited Richard several times in Hilo, where he sold local coffee at a space in the market, and we went to his source of Kona coffee farther south on Hawaii Island. For the rest of the trip, the rental car had the rich aroma of the Kona coffee cargo. Richard and I talked about DXing, especially mediumwave DXing from Hawaii, which was his current focus. With my portable radio on that trip I had received two California local channel stations at a distance of 2300 miles. My wife observed that our conversation about DXing was like listening to two people speak another language.<\/p>\n

Richard died of a heart attack in Hawaii at the age of 67 in September 2007.<\/p>\n

Karl D. Forth has been interested in radio and DXing for more than 50 years. This story was included in the book\u00a0Radio Nights and Distant Signals<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Please note: all Amazon links are affiliate links that support the SWLing Post at no cost to you.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Karl D. Forth Richard E. Wood may have been the best-known DXer ever. I first met him briefly at a radio convention in the mid-1970s; it may have been Columbus or Atlanta. A friend, Robert Kramer, had met him earlier and hadn\u2019t enjoyed his first encounter. Rob had asked Richard to autograph his copy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_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},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,305,288,7566],"tags":[11102,11194,5751],"class_list":["post-67266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","category-radio-memories","tag-karl-d-forth","tag-richard-e-wood","tag-shortwave-memories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-huW","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":66271,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/shortwave-memories-world-radio-tv-handbook\/","url_meta":{"origin":67266,"position":0},"title":"Shortwave Memories \u2014 World Radio-TV Handbook","author":"Thomas","date":"June 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Karl D. Forth Reading through the 1971 World Radio-TV Handbook only as a reference source was interesting, but as I started listening more I also realized I felt part of what was happening \u2013 I could hear many of the countries described, one way or another. I\u2019ve always liked\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\/2026\/06\/WRTH-1971.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WRTH-1971.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WRTH-1971.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WRTH-1971.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WRTH-1971.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64988,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/some-holiday-reading-for-shortwave-listeners\/","url_meta":{"origin":67266,"position":1},"title":"Some holiday reading for shortwave listeners","author":"Thomas","date":"December 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dan Greenall Attention all SWL\u2019s! \u00a0 For those of you with a little extra free time over the holiday season, I would highly recommend having a look at two books that were written by a couple of very respected DXer\u2019s from the past.\u00a0 They are both available on the\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\/2025\/12\/the-world-in-my-ears-cover.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/the-world-in-my-ears-cover.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/the-world-in-my-ears-cover.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/the-world-in-my-ears-cover.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/the-world-in-my-ears-cover.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":48038,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/radio-tirana-memories-who-was-the-voice-of-goodnight-dear-listeners\/","url_meta":{"origin":67266,"position":2},"title":"Radio Tirana memories: Who was the voice of “goodnight dear listeners”–?","author":"Thomas","date":"March 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I just received the following comment from Richard Levenson posted with this off-air recording of Radio Tirana on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive: Lots of fond memories listening to Radio Tirana, Albania going back to the late 1950's. Their broadcasts back then were loaded with anti-West propaganda and more. Their\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\/2016\/04\/RadioTiranaFront-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/RadioTiranaFront-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/RadioTiranaFront-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/RadioTiranaFront-001.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66468,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/shortwave-memories-castro-calling\/","url_meta":{"origin":67266,"position":3},"title":"Shortwave Memories — Castro Calling","author":"Thomas","date":"June 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Karl D. Forth On mediumwave, Cuba was a heavyweight, with many high-powered transmitters all over the dial, exceeding the already generous allocation agreed to by the North American nations in 1941. In 1971, Radio Havana Cuba broadcast on shortwave with Spanish to the Americas, English, French, Portuguese, and a\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\/2026\/06\/SWL-Scan_cuba-20260430.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SWL-Scan_cuba-20260430.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SWL-Scan_cuba-20260430.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SWL-Scan_cuba-20260430.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SWL-Scan_cuba-20260430.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66608,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/shortwave-memories-whos-out-there\/","url_meta":{"origin":67266,"position":4},"title":"Shortwave Memories — Who\u2019s Out There?","author":"Thomas","date":"July 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Karl D. Forth I can remember very early in my shortwave listening wondering how many people were tuned in to a particular broadcast at the same time I was. I was listening to Radio Portugal on a warm evening in June 1971 when I first had this thought. How\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\/2026\/07\/SWL-Scan_Radio-Portugal-20260430-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SWL-Scan_Radio-Portugal-20260430-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SWL-Scan_Radio-Portugal-20260430-3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SWL-Scan_Radio-Portugal-20260430-3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SWL-Scan_Radio-Portugal-20260430-3.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SWL-Scan_Radio-Portugal-20260430-3.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65927,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/shortwave-memories-go-go-radio-moscow\/","url_meta":{"origin":67266,"position":5},"title":"Shortwave Memories — Go Go Radio Moscow","author":"Thomas","date":"May 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Karl D. Forth Radio Moscow didn\u2019t seem confrontational. We\u2019re here, their attitude seemed to be, and we\u2019re going to offer our opinion on things, which you may or may not like. Looking at the World Radio-TV Handbook in the early 1970s, Radio Moscow was on dozens of frequencies from\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\/2026\/05\/Radio-Moscow-graphic.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Radio-Moscow-graphic.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Radio-Moscow-graphic.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67266","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=67266"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67268,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67266\/revisions\/67268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}