World Band Postcards

Radio Norway

2009-03-03T00:53:00.004Z

Another great station from days gone by, Radio Norway is no longer on shortwave. At the time of this reception they presented a news program called "Norway this Week" along with other musical and cultural programming.

Radio Prague

2009-02-20T21:56:00.003Z

Here's one more from Radio Prague. This one pictures the Thermia Palace in Piestany, in what is now Slovakia.

Radio Polonia

2009-02-08T19:53:00.003Z

Poland's shortwave voice was known as "Radio Polonia" and, in the early '80's, could be heard on 15120 kHz at 0200 UTC with a program of news and features. They're still on the air today as the Polish Radio External Service, and the English service is for European listeners. Still, they can be heard in North America when conditions are good.

Trans World Radio, Monte Carlo

2009-01-31T14:14:00.006Z

Another QSL from TWR but from their Monte Carlo broadcast. This was another late-night catch (0600 UTC) when I was working the late shift. The program was religious hymns and bible readings.

Radio Sweden

2009-01-19T12:58:00.004Z

Another great European broadcaster, still on the air today with English beamed to North America, Radio Sweden has a long history of shortwave broadcasting. This card was WAY ahead of its time, heralding the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment.

International Radio Serbia

2009-01-10T00:39:00.004Z

A very recent card! IRS appears nightly in English on the world bands. In particular, 6190 kHz at 0100 UTC is a good frequency. Primarily a half hour of news, but musical programming may also be featured.

Radio Slovakia International

2009-01-02T17:00:00.001Z

A great-looking, recent card from Radio Slovakia International, a station with good steady programs and signal here in the US. Of course in my shortwave listening heyday of the '70's and '80's there WAS no Slovakia, it was still part of Czechoslovakia and thus under the Radio Prague banner.

Radio Australia "Morse" card

2008-12-20T21:38:00.004Z

...featuring the words "Radio Australia" in Morse code on front of the card. I recently heard that RA was discussing abandoning its daily English outlets on 9580 and other frequencies, during morning hours in the eastern US (1100-1200 UTC or so) which I have been listening to for years and years. It will truly be the end of an era.

Radio Sofia, Bulgaria

2008-12-14T21:48:00.003Z

The last card in my collection from Radio Sofia pictures the Bachkovo Monastery near Sofia.

Trans World Radio

2008-12-07T00:08:00.002Z

Probably one of the first really mega-Christian broadcasters there were. I remember they had/have a relay on the island of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles so there was never a problem hearing them. Anyway this relay, as I understand it, was destroyed in a fire but rebuilt in record time.

Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran

2008-11-27T01:16:00.004Z

Its North American service known also as the "Voice of Justice", this recent card from Iran was accompanied by a slick magazine extolling the virtues of Islam. My comment to the station was that the programming would have benefited from more information about the country and its people.

Radio Moscow, third QSL

2008-11-15T17:42:00.003Z

Even though the old Radio Moscow under the USSR was of course a propaganda machine, I always thought their QSL's were classic looking. This is the third one in my collection.

KBS Worldwide

2008-11-02T22:20:00.004Z

The Korean Broadcasting Service broadcasts from Seoul, South Korea. It seems to be a pretty steady broadcaster without a lot of the up and down schedules of other stations.

KBS has great signals, good programs and is always a pleasure to hear. My log from 1980 shows a very friendly program of music, Korean lessons, and culture.

Another card from HCJB

2008-10-20T00:21:00.002+01:00

A religious powerhouse on shortwave, HCJB could be heard quite easily. This card confirms a reception report from '72.

Vatican Radio

2008-10-04T17:23:00.005+01:00

Vatican Radio is a shortwave powerhouse, broadcasting in many languages all over the world, with information and inspiration for Catholics.

Over the years the Church has reaffirmed its commitment to shortwave broadcasting as a means of keeping in touch with the faithful in both the third world and the industrialized world.

Radio Prague

2008-09-20T00:09:00.003+01:00

Another card from Radio Prague, back when it was Czechoslovakia. This card shows a view of the city of Telc, south and east of Prague in what is now the Czech Republic. Check out the frequency of one reception: 21785. Must've been good sunspot numbers.

Voice of Greece

2008-09-13T13:32:00.004+01:00

A steady presence on world band, today Voice of Greece broadcasts almost exclusively in Greek to expatriats around the world. But on Sunday, the station does provide a brief English language program.

Then and now, Voice of Greece has a technically fine signal, good programs and excellent music.

Radio ELWA

2008-09-06T17:41:00.006+01:00

A Christian broadcaster from Monrovia, Liberia, ELWA was a tough catch on the tropical bands. Disappointingly, there were no program details on the card when received, only the very general "QSL". According to my logs, along with religious programming they also rebroadcast news from the BBC.

They could be found nightly on 4765 around 0500-0700 UTC or midnight to 2 AM local time. Good thing I was working evening shifts at this time! Also, the solar flux index was peaking around 300 at this time (1980), making for a very diverse logbook.

Radio Japan

2008-08-29T11:19:00.006+01:00

This card from Radio Japan has held up well, and is another logging from 1980. The program consisted of commentary on Japan's business community and free enterprise, along with a feature on Japan's rock gardens. Japan's international shortwave outlet can be heard nightly in the Americas with a great signal via Radio Canada's Sackville relay.

A recent card from New Zealand

2008-08-22T23:27:00.006+01:00

Always a great station to hear, Radio New Zealand International offers terrific programs from the South Pacific. On this particular program RNZI played a musical retrospective of the 1940's (at 3 AM local time!) which I enjoyed thoroughly.

Here's the QSL I received from them, along with a sticker they send to their listeners.

Radio Finland

2008-08-16T17:17:00.006+01:00

Radio Finland was not around in my early days of listening (early '70's) or at least not readily audible. But by 1980 they had established themselves as an international shortwave presence. Unfortunately that is no longer the case, as the latest Passport does not show any international shortwave service.

On the reception that netted this card, Radio Finland's program was dedicated to its 1980 Olympic team. Also heard were an interval signal and weather report for various Finnish cities.

Radio Vilnius

2008-08-08T02:05:00.004+01:00

I was thrilled to have first heard this station from Lithuania in the early '80's. Radio Vilnius still is an active voice on shortwave today. This card was also rather unusual in that it opened up like a greeting card, with the verification details inside.

HRVC

2008-08-01T21:54:00.004+01:00

Continuing with the religious stations, HRVC is fine Christian broadcaster from Honduras. Sadly though, they no longer offer shortwave service or English language service. They still broadcast on medium wave, however.

Many Central American stations still broadcast on the 60 meter (so-called "tropical") band.

WYFR

2008-07-20T03:59:00.007+01:00

Family Radio today dominates the shortwave bands, with religious broadcasts at all times in many languages. The Okeechobee (FL, US) transmitter was still fairly new (built in 1977) when this card was received in 1980.

WYFR is known for excellent signals, and Radio Taiwan International uses the Okeechobee transmitters to relay their programs in the Western hemisphere.

Another from Radio Canada International

2008-07-11T11:11:00.007+01:00

Actually this may have been my first QSL ever, as it probably was for many listeners in North America. It was either this one or Radio Prague around the same time.

I think RCI has far surpassed one 250 kw transmitter by now. By the way, 9625 kHz is STILL a Radio Canada frequency to this day.

Radio Netherlands

2008-07-06T14:00:00.007+01:00

Now known as Radio Netherlands, the Dutch international shortwave service previously identified in its native language as Radio Nederland.

What's not to like about RN? Powerful relays, technically excellent signals and great programming make this station a must-hear. Ask yourself if CNN or Fox will ever produce programs like "Newsline" or "The State We're In". Long may RN shine on the air as an example of how to run a shortwave service.

Presently RN holds court nightly in English on 9845 kHz at 0000 UTC (8 PM Eastern Daylight Time), among many other times, frequencies and languages.

All India Radio

2008-07-01T00:48:00.006+01:00

AIR had only a fair signal and I had to listen a couple of days in order to get enough detail for a QSL card. My notes show their program consisted of news and lots of native music.

VNG

2008-06-23T21:40:00.002+01:00

VNG is a government time-and-frequency standard station from "down under", similar to WWV or CHU in the northern hemisphere. What was really striking was the amount of detail in their QSL card. I've reproduced all the panels here.

Another Pair from Prague

2008-06-13T02:03:00.008+01:00

Two more of the many black and white cards I received from Radio Prague for my frequent reception reports enroute to their Monitor Club certificate.

The first shows the town of Karlovy Vary, on a hillside in the western part of what is now the Czech Republic, near the border with Germany.

The second shows a brave young person taking in a magnificent view of "Snow Mountain", minus the snow of course.

By the way, you'll notice some of these cards from Prague came direct as stamped postcards and some were put in envelopes and sent that way.

Radio Berlin International

2008-06-07T23:19:00.009+01:00

The other side of Germany was, of course, East Germany. It was officially known as the German Democratic Republic, which despite its name was under communist control, and whose shortwave radio outlet, RBI, was certainly a propaganda machine.

Like other European broadcasters, RBI had a good strong signal in North America in the wee hours of the UTC day.

Radio Deutsche Welle

2008-05-30T00:35:00.006+01:00

Talk about a bittersweet memory, this card commemorated the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where, you'll remember, eleven Israelis, athletes and coaches, lost their lives in a terrorist attack.

Deutsche Welle is still a shortwave powerhouse and can be heard daily on the bands with a great signal. Here's a link to recent loggings from the eastern US. Of course it's just Germany now, not West Germany as it was known then.

Radio Austria (ORF)

2008-05-17T14:55:00.006+01:00

ORF in this case stands for Osterreichischer Rundfunk, or Austrian Broadcasting. A nice station with the usual programs you'd expect: features about Austria, news, music, and a listener mailbag program. Home base is Vienna and this QSL card sports some interesting art!

Radio Austria is still on the air providing daily programs to an international audience.

Two Great Shortwave Books

2008-05-09T03:30:00.006+01:00

I wanted to share the images of two of my favorite books about shortwave. Both are probably out of print but were classics in their days (the '60's).

Better Shortwave Reception was a classic by William Orr. With a true enthusiasm and a sense of humor, Orr captured the excitement of shortwave listening, examining all the facets of receivers, antennas, stations, and reception techniques. Written back in the day when receivers had to be aligned and maintained, and digital frequency readout wasn't on the horizon yet, Orr showed how to make the most of your equipment and how to listen.

By contrast, Shortwave Voices of the World by Richard Wood was more focused on the broadcast stations. Wood captured the politics, the economics, and the many languages of the world's broadcasters in an insightful volume. Wood took us behind the voices we heard on the air to really appreciate the personalities and programs.

They don't write 'em like this anymore, no disrespect to Passport to World Band.

Radio Nacional de Espana

2008-05-01T01:38:00.006+01:00

Spanish National Radio is another fine European station with great programs. This QSL is from early 1972. This station also appears in my later logs as "Spanish Foreign Radio Service" and had musical programs, literary reviews, and other topical programs.

You can hear them tonight on 6055 kHz at 0000 UTC with news, sports, and music. They'll announce themselves as "Radio Nacional de Espana"

Voice of Turkey

2008-04-24T10:00:00.008+01:00

A fine broadcaster that is still on the air every day with a great signal, the Voice of Turkey has excellent programs from the city of Ankara. Listen tonight at 0300 UTC on 7325 kHz, for instance.

Another from Radio Sofia

2008-04-18T11:09:00.007+01:00

Color card from Bulgaria, confirming multiple days' reception. I sent in a lot of reception reports to Radio Sofia, but don't recall getting any kind of certificate or other wallpaper.

Radio Budapest

2008-04-13T21:14:00.005+01:00

Another one of the communist bloc broadcasters, but Radio Budapest had good programs and an excellent signal in North America. As the back of the card indicates, they also were very DX-er friendly.

It's amazing how many of the eastern European stations were on the air nightly between 0000-0400 UTC.

ORU, Belgium

2008-04-10T12:02:00.005+01:00

A fine European broadcaster. I always thought this QSL was one of the best in my collection.

CFRX/CFRB, Toronto

2008-04-08T01:26:00.007+01:00

Here's an interesting card from commercial station CFRB in Toronto, Ontario. In addition to an AM and FM outlet, they also had a shortwave relay for extended coverage over the wide expanses of the province. A few Canadian stations still have this kind of local/regional service combination, exclusively in the 49 meter band, but they're tough to hear.

The QSL features a great shot of the Toronto skyline, pre-CN tower which now dominates this view. The reverse has some interesting details of the shortwave setup typed in to the details.

Another photo card from Radio Prague

2008-04-06T01:39:00.004+01:00

This particular card confirms five different reception reports, at two times and on two frequencies. An idyllic view of Lake Macha graces this QSL.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

2008-04-04T00:58:00.010+01:00

Good old Auntie Beeb is not the international radio power she once was, unless you count Internet streaming. I think betting everything on Internet radio is a mistake, but I'm in the minority.

Fortunately, BBC in English is still audible over the airwaves; their service to Africa is your best bet. Try 0300 UTC on 6145 kHz, for instance. This is a non-QSL from '72 (no specific details on the card).

Radio Canada Shortwave Club

2008-04-02T01:31:00.005+01:00

Like other stations, Radio Canada International offered a certificate for a certain number of reception reports. It was a pleasure listening to RCI with its strong signals in the northeast US and fine programming.

Radio Habana

2008-04-01T01:15:00.003+01:00

Then and now, Radio Habana is on the air every night with a powerful signal from Cuba. Anti-American rhetoric is still strong, but so are the music programs and the DX show with Arnie Coro, CO2KK. Can be heard at an even 6000 kHz. (and other frequencies) just about any night.

Radio France International

2008-03-31T01:05:00.006+01:00

A respected European broadcaster that has been around for years, RFI now broadcasts primarily to Africa, but is audible elsewhere. RFI mirrors the strategy of many broadcasters that now target emerging nations where shortwave is the primary source of international news, thanks to low-cost receivers.

Radio RSA, South Africa

2008-03-30T00:48:00.005Z

RSA was the official shortwave voice of the apartheid-era South African government, and the station predictably fell when apartheid did in 1992. We charitably remember RSA as a station with a technically fine signal in North America and around the world.

A Worthy Successor

2008-03-29T12:14:00.007Z

Sony has a long legacy of great world band receivers. This dominance reached its peak with the classic ICF-2010, introduced in the '80's and arguably the best portable shortwave radio ever produced.

Times are changing, but Sony has not. I've had this ICF-SW7600CR for a few weeks now and it's a gem. Not in the same league as the '2010 (about half the price, for starters), this is a portable not much bigger than a paperback novel, but packed with great features like synchronous detection, all-digital tuning and 100 memory locations.

Selectivity and sensitivity are tremendous. SSB detection and FM stereo round out the feature set. Included are a neat roll-up wire antenna and the latest Sony Wave Guide.

This radio is classic Sony technology from Japan (not China). Now, back to the cards...

Swiss Radio International

2008-03-29T01:40:00.009Z

SRI was one of the most respected shortwave broadcasters, reflecting Switzerland's impartiality and detached objectivity. Its news, programs and folk music were first-rate. Unfortunately at this time Swiss Broadcasting no longer offers international shortwave service.

Wonder what ever became of that log periodic antenna? What a beauty; I could use it in my backyard!

Two more from Prague

2008-03-28T01:13:00.005Z

Another two great photo cards from Radio Prague as I was providing frequent reports for the monitor club.

Radio Bucharest

2008-03-27T00:26:00.004Z

Radio Bucharest was another typical eastern bloc broadcaster in terms of left-leaning news and much propaganda. According to my logs they also suffered what I call "Radio Cairo syndrome": low modulation of their AM carrier.

They're now known as Radio Romania International.

Radio Prague DX Diploma

2008-03-26T01:34:00.002Z

I submitted verification cards from fifteen ITU zones in order to obtain this Radio Prague-sponsored certificate.

Armed Forces Radio & TV Service

2008-03-26T01:23:00.005Z

It used to be a lot easier to hear AFRTS as they broadcast to US servicemen and women throughout the world, since VOA high-power facilities were utilized. Now however, AFRTS is relegated to low-power stations based on Naval vessels near the target audience. No matter, as long as they serve their intended listeners.

Radio Canada International

2008-03-25T01:32:00.005Z

Personally, I don't think RCI gets enough credit from the world band press on the quality of their service and programs. I always enjoyed the domestic broadcasts, serving their countrymen in remote areas of Canada, but the international service is of equal quality.

I'll also scan in a neat certificate from RCI shortly: Radio Canada had its own shortwave club certificate.

Two more from Radio Prague

2008-03-24T00:43:00.007Z

I believe these QSLs resulted from the frequent reports I submitted to qualify for the RP Monitor Club.

Radio Sofia, Bulgaria

2008-03-23T00:19:00.004Z

Another eastern bloc station with a great signal in North America. I was a frequent listener to their nightly broadcasts.

Here are two of their great photograph QSL's. I have two others which I'll post later. They are still on the air under the name Radio Bulgaria.

KOL Radio Israel

2008-03-22T00:13:00.007Z

A great station and a fun catch, Radio Israel had nice features like a DX program and listener mailbag with good (not great) signal strength; I always had to work to dig it out.

In my old logs I had this listed as both "Radio Israel" and "Radio Jerusalem". Not sure if they changed the name but I always just knew it as KOL.

RAI, Italy

2008-03-21T19:02:00.002Z

It appears RAI is no longer on the air with international broadcasts, but it was a fine station with English language services and a good signal during the '70's.

Radio Kiev

2008-03-20T23:23:00.004Z

Radio Kiev's programs seemed to be less propaganda and more Ukrainian culture and music. This made them a refreshing change from other eastern bloc broadcasters. They had a great signal with an English broadcast to North America around 0000-0100 UTC.

The Voice of America

2008-03-20T23:06:00.007Z

The conventional thought at the time was that "megastations" like VOA and BBC did not send true confirmations, but that simply isn't true: I have detailed verification cards from both stations.

What can you say about this shortwave broadcasting giant? VOA broadcasts are beamed all over the world in many languages, and can be tuned in most anytime.

Radio Australia

2008-03-20T10:01:00.007Z

This card for Radio Australia confirms a morning reception on 9580 kHz. Thirty-six years later they're still on that frequency for hours every morning, making for excellent listening with a (usually) strong signal and news about Oz and the Pacific Rim.

It's interesting that this card (and some others) refer to the frequency as kilocycles per second (kc/s). That terminology that has been replaced by the newer (and shorter) "kilohertz".

By the way...

2008-03-19T22:49:00.004Z

I don't mean to keep referring to these stations in the past tense, because many of them are certainly still on the air and broadcasting great programs (R Prague among them). I'm simply referring to my logs and recollections of the station, thus the past tense.

Radio Portugal

2008-03-19T22:37:00.006Z

You'll find this card pictured in a lot of world band and shortwave books, and rightfully so--it's a great example of the QSL art. Radio Portugal is another fine European broadcaster with news, opinion and indigenous music.

Radio Prague Monitor Club

2008-03-19T20:57:00.008Z

Radio Prague offered an incentive for listeners to send reception reports on a regular basis. I don't remember what the criteria were, but I met them and earned this certificate. In addition, each report garnered another Radio Prague QSL.

Radio Prague was very listener-friendly. They also offered a DX diploma for confirming stations in fifteen ITU zones; that certificate and many other RP QSLs will be posted here.

HCJB, Ecuador

2008-03-19T01:33:00.003Z

One of the biggest signals to be heard in North America belonged to the religious broadcaster, HCJB in Quito, Ecuador. They really expanded their service in terms of both frequencies and power in the early '70's. This is one of my HCJB cards, there is at least one other.

Plain Paper QSL from Radio Cairo

2008-03-18T23:07:00.006Z

This is an oddball, I think. Ostensibly, Radio Cairo ran out of printed QSL cards at the time I sent my reception report; perhaps that makes this verification quite rare. Anyway it's just a cut piece of photocopied paper with the details written in.

One thing about Radio Cairo, they always had great signal strength (S5) but the audio was always under-modulated. This made the English language speakers hard to understand, but the Egyptian music was always perfectly audible. I think about how much better they'd have sounded had they just turned up modulation a little.

Radio Peking

2008-03-18T10:00:00.002Z

The People's Republic of China sponsored Radio Peking, and the propaganda from this station was every bit as prevalent as the eastern European stations. This card always amazed me; mixing women, ballet and rifles!

If I'm not mistaken, this is before the time that China had high-power relays in the western hemisphere, although the station itself was strong under good conditions.

Two from Radio Moscow

2008-03-17T23:17:00.000Z

Radio Moscow was an absolute monster on the shortwave bands. They were all over the dial at all hours of the day and night with great signals. Many times I'd tune around the bands and park on an English broadcast, waiting breathlessly for station ID, only to be disappointed that it was yet another RM outlet.

Of course Radio Moscow was the granddaddy of the communist bloc stations, broadcasting a decidedly left-wing slant (not as bad as some, though).

4VEH, Haiti

2008-03-17T23:05:00.001Z

As I recall, this religious broadcaster was a fairly rare catch at 2.5 kilowatts, and the card itself is beautiful. It opens up lower edge up like a greeting card to reveal the confirmation details inside.

The station confirmed here was actually 4VEJ.

Radio Prague

2008-03-17T02:05:00.000Z

A powerhouse of the former communist Czechoslovakia, Radio Prague came in loud and clear in North America on many frequency bands. It was one of my favorite stations despite the propaganda that was prevalent among all the eastern European countries during the '60's and '70's.

This particular QSL card was for reception on 11990 kHz. The reverse side of many of my cards are a bit chewed up; this is due to my habit back then of mounting my cards on the wall with tape...wish I could do that over.

Canada's CHU

2008-03-16T22:26:00.000Z

One of the first signals often heard by a new world band listener tuning around his or her first receiver is the steady baap...baap...baap of the time signal station CHU near Ottawa, Canada. CHU is always strong in the northeast US on 3330 kHz or 7335 kHz. Announcement of the current Eastern Standard Time is made in both English and French every minute.

Receivers from the past and present

2008-03-16T13:06:00.002Z

Here's a pictorial history of the receivers I used to amass this collection of QSL cards.

My father bought this Hallicrafters S-53A in the late '50's and it was the first shortwave I ever used. Its tubes glowed comfortingly while listening. The speaker was in the top cover which swung up conveniently for service on the tubes. Sensitivity and selectivity were probably not great, but I didn't know any better! Unfortunately, it was destroyed in a fire in the late '60's. Photo from the site: http://televideo.ws/S-53A.html

Later on I wanted my own receiver, so I bought and assembled this Knight Kit Star Roamer with a lot of difficulty. My dad helped me out. It was adequate and I got to know it inside out, tweaking the sensitivity and calibration constantly. I eventually took it apart for spare parts when I became a ham. Photo from http://www.schucker.org/Wiki.jsp?page=StarRoamer

A major purchase after my first real job: A Realistic DX-300 with--for the first time--digital frequency readout! The ring around the main tuning dial adjusted the Mhz number while the inner knob gave you the kHz. The preselector was necessary but a bit of a pain to work. This is still sitting around the house somewhere, I think... Photo from http://www.dxing.com/rx/dx200.htm

The best radio I ever owned is a Sony ICF-2010 which I still use. The front-end transistor burned out early in its life (I had it connected to an outdoor antenna during a thunderstorm) so I replaced it with a small socket and replacement transistor just in case it happened again. Photo once again from www.dxing.com.

Don't believe anyone when they say that the receivers produced in'50's and '60's were the best. The newest are by far the best, technically and ergonomically, especially this Sony.